Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The genre of still-life easel painting dates back to the sixteenth century in Western art and remains a popular subject of artists to the present day.  As the first movement toward Modern Art, the Impressionists broke away from the traditional teachings at the official Salon in Paris and organized an exhibition of their own in 1874.  Nature morte aux pommes is striking example of still life painting by one the great champions of Impressionist Art, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  Renoir took delight in and was quite at home painting still lifes.  During his career as an artist, Renoir supplemented his income by painting decorative pictures and nudes when higher priced commissioned portraits slowed.

Although diminutive in size, Nature morte aux pommes has an extraordinary amount of attention to detail reminiscent of Renoir’s early oeuvre.  As if to challenge the critics of so-called “Impressionist” painting, Renoir’s feather-like handling of the fruit, capturing its weight and delicacy, demonstrates the painter’s facility with brush and oil palette.