Seated Woman with Sea in the Distance (Femme assise au bord de la mer)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

As in many of his late landscapes, Renoir shows the central figure here in a contemplative state, seated among her natural surroundings. She doesn't even seem to notice the panorama beyond her. In his last years, Renoir spoke about his ambition to unify his figures with their surroundings: "I'm struggling with my figures in order to make them one with the landscape that serves as their background and I want people to feel that they are not flat, and that my trees are not flat either." Here, the gestural brushwork infuses the scene with a gentle rhythm in harmony with the sitter's repose.

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