Landscape at Pont-Aven

From the 1890s onward, Renoir abandoned the modern city as a subject, embracing the idyllic countryside, still uncorrupted by human civilization, as the focus of his art.

This river landscape near the village of Pont-Aven, Brittany, demonstrates his exquisite sensitivity to natural phenomena, such as the movement of water and the reflection of light. The area had been popular with artists, including Paul Gauguin, since the 1850s.