Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Ideal Landscape

At the heart of Impressionism was the close study of nature. Pierre-Auguste Renoir found the perfect setting for his artistic explorations in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir had been fascinated by classical landscape painting since his travels to Italy in 1881. His intention was to depict a utopian pastoral, an Arcadia, which he found in the countryside of southern France – a haven of unspoilt natural beauty, untouched by the vestiges of industrialisation and modern life. Renoir returned to landscape painting in the 1890’s, adopting a distinctive approach reflected in his own uniquely developed style, technique, and painterly effect. Bold brushstrokes and contrasting colour accents mingle to evoke a specific atmosphere. In February 1898, the year this painting was created, Renoir visited Cagnes-sur-Mer for the first time, and the area proved to be a particularly rich source of inspiration for his idyllic depictions. Here he could experience nature in all its splendour and find his subjects and perspectives in the immediate surroundings.

Paysage à Cagnes is a remarkable testament to Renoir’s deep study of, and engagement with, nature. The painting reflects what would come to constitute the main tenets of Impressionism: painting in the open air, the direct translation of an instantaneous impression, and the interplay of light and colour.

Renoir conjures the feel of a sunny afternoon in a Mediterranean landscape. The sun’s rays, which the artist must have felt on his skin as he painted under a blue sky, seem to radiate outwards to the viewer. With quick, deliberate brushstrokes, Renoir sets the lush green of the hills and their rows of trees aglow. Yellow and red highlights create vivid contrasts, hinting at bushes and paths. A lone figure walks along a winding path, drawing the viewer’s eye along it. Our gaze is then drawn up to the mountain range on the horizon and the light-flooded sky, dotted with delicate veils of cloud.

The 1890’s were a financially rewarding decade for Renoir, thanks to the unwavering support of art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel and his two galleries in Paris and New York. The artist frequently shuttled between Paris and the south of France, where the mild Mediterranean climate was better for his health and allowed him to fully immerse himself in his work. In his later years, Cagnes-sur-Mer became the centre of his life. It was here that Renoir passed away in 1919, and today his former home and studio have been transformed into the Musée Renoir.