Sucrier, pomme et orange

Renoir told his biographer, Albert André, that it was in his small scale still-lifes such as the present work that 'he put the whole of himself, that he took every risk' (A. André, Renoir, 1928, p. 49). These intimate, contemplative pieces acted as a type of retreat for Renoir away from the anxieties that larger scale compositions caused him, particularly in his later years. However, he also saw a more fundamental benefit in executing still-lifes. As he told Julie Manet in the later 1890s, the artist should tackle still-life 'in order to teach yourself to paint quickly' (J. Manet, Journal (1893-1899), Paris, 1979, p. 170).