Renoir- The Apple Seller

A detailed Summary of Renoir- The Apple Seller

Pierre Auguste Renoir was a late nineteen- century French impressionist painter whose works were often ridiculed throughout his life, because of his sensuous celebration of women and nature. He was considered to be one of the most famous artists of his generation, due to his representation sensuality and pleasure in his paintings. When his paintings were first exhibited, they were considered to be shocking and culturally taboo, however after time society became more accepting of Renoir's style and his work overall. "The Apple Seller" painted in 1890, which is now showcased at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The painting depicts a commercial transaction between a peasant woman and an upper class woman and her children. Throughout this paper I will describe the formal properties of this painting such as composition, line and color, texture, space and volume and use of light. The painting as a triangular composition, containing all four figures, they are in turn drawn together within a harmonious ensemble. The painting itself depicts an older peasant woman selling fruit to what seems to be a middle class woman and her children. The painting is set deep in the forest, where the mother and her children are enjoying a pleasant

The color and line are both a very bold issues within the context of this painting. The painting as a whole is like a gradation. The background tone is very light, the middle ground has a neutral value, and the foreground is very dark. There is no real line in the painting; it is only described by a darker tone in front of the lighter one, giving a surreal feeling because of the combination of the deep color and the blurred paint. Renoir's color range on the painting is strictly earth toned, with minimal use of black and white. The color being very bold contradicts the serenity of the composition itself.

spring afternoon. The blurred background of the piece brings the figures to the front of the painting creating a more personal situation for each viewer. Incidentally, this creates the effect of a personal link between the viewer and the figures in the painting. The peasant woman is depicted in plain clothing by using very dull colors; on the other hand the wealthier woman is painted in more vibrant colors to describe her social status. Overall, the composition seems to be a commentary of the social circumstances of the time.

In my opinion, the depiction of the space on the canvas is very weak. In much of the painting the space seems very flat and lacking of volume. How

Some common words found in the essay are:
Museum Art, Auguste Renoir, woman children, Apple Seller, mother children, peasant woman, space volume, mother children peasant, painting depicts, class woman children, meaning composition, color line, front painting, darkness peasant, children peasant,

Approximate Word count = 870
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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Renoir- The Apple Seller

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