Pierre-Auguste Renoir
French, 1841–1919
Peonies
c. 1880
Renoir once told a friend “painting flowers rests my brain. . . . I place my colors and experiment with values boldly, without worrying about spoiling a canvas.” In this still life, vibrant reds and pinks stand out against the dark background and cast blue shadows across the white tablecloth. Using thin washes and strokes of thicker paint, the artist has captured the peonies’ sumptuous colors and the delicate textures of their petals and leaves.
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 21 3/4 x 25 7/8 in. (55.3 x 65.7 cm) Frame: 32 x 35 13/16 in. (81.3 x 91 cm) |
| Object Number | 1955.585 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Peonies, c. 1880, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, 1955.585
Provenance
The artist, sold to Durand-Ruel, 6 Jan. 1881; [Durand-Ruel, Paris, from 1881]; Potter Palmer, Chicago (by 1892–d. 1902); Bertha Honoré Palmer, Chicago, his wife, by descent (1902–d. 1918); [Howard Young Galleries, New York, c. 1922]; Annie Swan Coburn, Chicago (d. 1932); The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection (1933–42); [Knoedler, New York; sold to Clark, 31 Jan. 1942]; Robert Sterling Clark (1942–55); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1955.
