Luncheon 1875

Pierre-Auguste Renoir made this painting, Luncheon, with oil on canvas, using the fluid, broken brushwork that is characteristic of Impressionism. The painting depicts a man and a woman at a table set for a meal, with a bottle of wine, bread, and a covered dish. The scene is rendered with a sense of immediacy, with a focus on capturing the fleeting effects of light and color. The painting emphasizes a casual, everyday moment. Renoir was particularly interested in capturing the vibrant atmosphere of Parisian life. One might assume that a painting like this is less about materials and more about the pure expression of feeling, but even here, we can observe the way that Renoir's gestural brushstrokes evoke texture, and the interplay of light and shadow across the scene. He was deeply engaged with the materiality of paint itself, and how to use it to create a sense of atmosphere and emotion. This kind of direct, sensuous handling of the medium is part of what makes Renoir's work so appealing, and important to the story of modern art.