花瓶中的花

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.