Woman in Blue 1919

Renoir painted ‘Woman in Blue’ with oil on canvas, and looking at it, I feel like I can understand something about the history of mark-making. The brushstrokes in the woman's blue dress aren't just about depicting fabric, they are about the paint itself! See how the surface dissolves into a haze of blues, pinks, and whites? I bet Renoir was thinking about the way color could create light and atmosphere, and wasn't afraid to go for it. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, maybe adding another dab of paint here, another there, until the whole thing shimmered. You know, it's interesting to consider this in relation to other portrait painters like, say, Manet or even someone like Alice Neel. What are they trying to tell us about the person, but also what do they want to tell us about the possibilities of painting? It makes you wonder who influenced who, and how they were all pushing each other!