Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.
Chrysanthemums
Pierre-Auguste Renoir · 1881–82
- Artist
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)
- Date
- 1881–82
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 54.8 × 65.8 cm (21 5/8 × 25 7/8 in.); Framed: 75.3 × 86.4 × 10.8 cm (29 5/8 × 34 × 4 1/4 in.)
- Made in
- France
- Style
- Impressionism
- Where to see it
- Art Institute of Chicago
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection · CC0 Public Domain · Art Institute of Chicago · image via Wikimedia Commons · see it at the museum ↗
Notes from the museum
“I just let my brain rest when I paint flowers,” Pierre-Auguste Renoir remarked. “I don’t experience the same tension as I do when confronted by the model. When I am painting flowers, I establish the tones, I study the values carefully without worrying about losing the picture. I don’t dare do this with a figure piece for fear of ruining it.”
Text: Art Institute of Chicago (open access). Our full story for this work is coming soon.
Slow Look
- The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
- The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
- The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
- One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
- The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?
About Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a leading French Impressionist artist. In his depiction of feminine beauty, Renoir has been described as "the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."
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