Paul Durand Ruel 1910

This is Paul Durand Ruel, rendered in oil by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, probably in 1910. The whole thing feels quite intimate, domestic even. The background is a wash of warm yellows and reds, hinting at a patterned wallpaper but never quite resolving into a clear image. It’s like the memory of a room, not a photograph of one. The brushwork is loose, feathery almost, and Renoir doesn't seem too concerned with precise details. Look at the sitter's hand – it's more of a suggestion of a hand, a collection of fleshy pinks and whites that give the impression of warmth and softness. And it's the same with the face, the same kind of soft focus on the features. I see echoes of Impressionism here. And I guess I also think of how much Manet influenced Renoir, a similar interest in capturing a fleeting moment, an impression, rather than a solid, fixed reality. Ultimately for me, the charm of Renoir lies in his embrace of imperfection, his willingness to let the paint do its thing.