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Renoir painted this bouquet in 1898, when he was in his late fifties and the arthritis that would eventually cripple his hands was just setting in. He liked flowers as a subject for a reason he admitted himself: with a bouquet he could try bold combinations of colour and touch without the strain he felt facing a paying sitter, who expected a likeness. So he fanned yellow and pink roses through white blooms and greenery, and left the stems showing in the clear glass, with a few painted reflections on the vase. The round table tilts up toward you while the flowers themselves are seen straight on.