# Fruits of the Midi

**Pierre-Auguste Renoir** (French, 1841–1919)  
1881  
Oil on canvas  
51 × 65 cm (20 1/16 × 25 5/8 in.); Framed: 70.2 × 85.1 × 8.9 cm (27 5/8 × 33 1/2 × 3 1/2 in.)

Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.1176. [The museum's record](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/16629).

## 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._

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted this in 1881, aged 40. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.

### 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](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/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._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: France
- The artist was 40
- Real size: about 20 × 26 in (51 × 65 cm). The 18 × 24 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Impressionism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/impressionism)
- Subjects: still life, white (color), tablecloth, table, pomegranates, peppers, leaves, leaf
- Colour: olive
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/64.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/64/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108; 30 × 40 in $148
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258; 30 × 40 in $338
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148; 24 × 36 in $178; 30 × 40 in $228
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5; 30 × 40 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/fruits-of-the-midi-aic-16629).