Peninsula of Saint-Jean (Presqu'île de Saint-Jean)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

A favorite locale of artists, the peninsula of Saint-Jean was renowned for its groves of spectacular olive trees. Here a group of holidaymakers and a farmer across the bay add to the view's picturesque quality. The soft, abbreviated brushstrokes lend the landscape its suffusive harmony and are consistent with Renoir's technique in the 1890s. During these years, Renoir increasingly came to realize the limitations of painting en plein air (outdoors), so while he started the canvas on the spot, he likely completed it in the studio—a practice advocated by Camille Corot, whom he admired.

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