Claude Renoir 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted this portrait of his son Claude using oil on canvas. Renoir's application of paint is highly visible. It is applied in short, loose brushstrokes, and the texture of the canvas is also apparent, resulting in a lively, broken surface. The pinks, blues and creams are built up by the accumulation of strokes, and the forms have a soft, blurred quality. The materiality of paint and canvas is foregrounded, which was typical of impressionist painting. This approach defied the academic tradition of smooth, invisible brushwork. Impressionism embraced spontaneity and the unique properties of oil paint. This approach aligned with a broader shift towards valuing the artist’s individual expression. The focus on brushwork over precise representation was seen as a break from traditional hierarchies of labor, elevating the artist's gesture above technical skill. Ultimately, by emphasizing the act of painting itself, Renoir encouraged a new way of seeing and experiencing art.