Montagne Sainte-Victoire (Paysage)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Not far from the looming presence of Cézanne's beloved Mont Sainte-Victoire, Renoir's laborers harvest olives from tuft-like trees in an orchard. Inspired by one of two visits to Aix-de-Provence, the canvas has a viewpoint consistent with the house near Bellevue that Renoir rented from Cézanne's sister and brother-in-law in 1889. Unlike Cézanne's depictions of the same site, Renoir's landscape is populated by protagonists who add a narrative dimension to the image. By setting off the mountain against the diminutive human figures in the foreground, Renoir seems to emphasize nature's sublime magnitude.

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