Three Lemons 1918

Renoir painted these three lemons with oil on canvas, and what grabs me first is how he's really thinking through the paint. It's not just about depicting fruit; it's about the juicy process of artmaking itself. Up close, you can almost taste the texture. The paint isn't overly thick, but you can still see the movement of the brush, the way he teases out the light on the lemons' surfaces. These aren't just yellow; they’re a mix of warm and cool tones, with touches of orange and even a hint of green, that bring them to life. There is a loose dab of ultramarine next to one of the lemons that seems to be there only to add to the liveliness of the painting. Looking at the way Renoir builds up the forms with these small, responsive marks, I think of someone like Bonnard, who also found endless possibilities in the everyday. Both artists remind us that painting is a conversation, an ongoing exploration of how we see and feel the world around us.