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Lot Essay
A photo-certificate accompanies this painting, which is to be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Pierre-Auguste Renoir by François Daulte under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Institute.
Renoir's feathery brushstroke was mastered early in his career as a porcelain decorator. His love of color and the sensuous qualities of oil paint was inspired by the Old Masters. The present painting displays his mastery of color with its harmonious palette and sophisticated use of oil paint. As Renoir's student, Albert André said of his Maitre:
When the subject is a simple one, he attacks his canvas with his brush, generally dipped in red-brown, tracing a few very schematic lines to see the proportions of the elements that will constitute his painting. Then, immediately, in pure tones thinned with solvent, as if he were painting a watercolor, he rubs the canvas all over in a rapid movement and you can see appear something imprecise and iridescent, the colors running into one another, something that charms you even before you have begun to get a sense of the image. (Quoted in M. Elder, op. cit., 1931)
In Bouquet, the corals, reds, pinks, yellows, greens and blues of the blossoms melt into each other in soft, round forms, like brilliant jewels wrapped in gauze. Flowers in a blue and white vase that fill the canvas suggest Renoir's joy in life. The interplay of both color and form reflect Renoir's traditional artistic influences. As Albert André has stated, "His work is a breath of fresh air, a burst of happiness that one inhales with delight".
Renoir's feathery brushstroke was mastered early in his career as a porcelain decorator. His love of color and the sensuous qualities of oil paint was inspired by the Old Masters. The present painting displays his mastery of color with its harmonious palette and sophisticated use of oil paint. As Renoir's student, Albert André said of his Maitre:
When the subject is a simple one, he attacks his canvas with his brush, generally dipped in red-brown, tracing a few very schematic lines to see the proportions of the elements that will constitute his painting. Then, immediately, in pure tones thinned with solvent, as if he were painting a watercolor, he rubs the canvas all over in a rapid movement and you can see appear something imprecise and iridescent, the colors running into one another, something that charms you even before you have begun to get a sense of the image. (Quoted in M. Elder, op. cit., 1931)
In Bouquet, the corals, reds, pinks, yellows, greens and blues of the blossoms melt into each other in soft, round forms, like brilliant jewels wrapped in gauze. Flowers in a blue and white vase that fill the canvas suggest Renoir's joy in life. The interplay of both color and form reflect Renoir's traditional artistic influences. As Albert André has stated, "His work is a breath of fresh air, a burst of happiness that one inhales with delight".