Seated Nude Woman c. 1906

Pierre-Auguste Renoir etched this Seated Nude Woman, likely sometime in the late 19th century. The marks are feathery, quick, and it’s all about the line. I imagine Renoir leaning over the plate, his hand dancing to capture the soft curves of the model. I see a lot of trial and error here, the nature of etching—lines going this way and that, searching for the right contour, the right shadow. I feel like I’m watching him think and make at the same time. The etched line feels so intimate, especially as it defines the body. There's a casualness in the pose, yet the artist's focus is intense, almost reverent. It makes me think about Degas and his bathers – that same interest in the everyday nude, but Renoir's is softer, more forgiving. We all see each other's work, even across time, and it seeps in. That’s what’s cool about painting—it's one big conversation that never ends. There’s no right or wrong, just different ways of seeing.