Still Life with Cantalope and Peaches 1905

Renoir made this still life with cantaloupe and peaches with oil paint. I wonder what it was like for Renoir to set up this scene, arranging the fruit on this white cloth? Did he eat any of it along the way? The colours are mostly warm, summery tones. Look how the peaches echo the larger form of the cantaloupe. And that green melon is calling to Cezanne's green apples, the way one artist converses with another across time. I love the surface of the painting; Renoir’s brushstrokes create a soft texture. See how the touches of red and orange on the peaches give them a warm, sun-kissed glow. Painting is a way of seeing and feeling, and the way the paint is applied can communicate a sense of touch and emotion. Ultimately, painting is a continuous dialogue between artists, each building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before. Renoir learned from other masters, like we all do, and his paintings continue to inspire painters today.