Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'L' Estaque, 1885-90

The piece that I have chosen is L’Estaque, 1885-90, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. This painting is composed of oil on canvas. Viewing the piece, I believe that the mood it conveys is peace and serenity. The subject of this piece is a calm enclave in France, enhanced with a faint sailboat and relaxed fisherman. This is a landscape painting; therefore, the subject is relatively straightforward. L’Estaque conveys a tranquil fragment of life, one that has since been lost, or forgotten. It was 5:15 P.M on a Friday night. It was snowing. I parked the car along the side of a small restaurant; a short walking distance to the museum. I staggered down the street, through the harsh winds and rapid snowfall. As I approached the museum, the monumental building really came into perspective. The exterior is minimally decorated, which was a surprise for me. Although, the architecture was modern.
In fact, we studied Renoir during that unit; especially his piece The Large Bathers, 1887. The harsh brushstrokes and thick use of paint coincides with other Impressionist pieces we looked at, like Cezanne’s paintings. The subject of this piece is real, but ideal in Renoir’s mind, since he was painting a sense of peace that has been lost to him in France. The description of the piece describes that Renoir was “disenchanted with Paris,” meaning that this piece was his depiction of his ideal world, and fascination with the calm of the seaside. L’Estaque also conveys, with the bright colors and style of painting, his desperate desire for a new style of painting, like his Impressionist associates. One piece in particular, directly across from Renoir’s, is The Breakwater at Camaret, 1985 by Maximilien Luce. This piece utilizes the same intense brushstrokes, although the colors are strictly cool in comparison to L’Estaque. Renoir’s search for a new style of painting is also how this piece relates to its