Fruits of the Midi1881
Pomegranates, peppers and other fruits and vegetables of the south are spread across a white tablecloth in glowing reds, yellows and purples. More about this work
About this work
Pomegranates, peppers and other fruits and vegetables of the south are spread across a white tablecloth in glowing reds, yellows and purples. Renoir painted the still life in 1881, a year in which he travelled to Algeria and Italy and was increasingly drawn to the light and colour of the Mediterranean. The produce is modelled with soft, rounded strokes, and the white cloth gathers reflections of its colours, showing how Impressionist observation could enrich a traditional genre.
Written by Ochre Editions.
What you’re looking at
A work made of oil on canvas.
Description from the Art Institute of Chicago.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
French, 1841–1919 · Born in Limoges; died in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
Renoir began as a painter of porcelain in Paris, then studied in Gleyre’s studio, where he met Monet, Sisley and Bazille. In the 1870s he was a central figure of Impressionism, painting Parisians at leisure in dappled light. A journey to Italy in 1881–82 led him towards firmer drawing and more classical compositions. Despite severe rheumatoid arthritis in later life he continued to paint, settling at Cagnes-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean, where he died.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Impressionism
Painters in 1870s Paris who worked quickly, often outdoors, to catch light as it changed.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Art Institute of Chicago has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1933.1176
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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