Roses in a Vase

Roses in a Vase or Roses Dans Un Vase are an appealing piece of art composed by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The medium was oil on canvas, and the current location of the drawing is within an unknown private collection. The apparent dimensions of the work are around 7 by 4.

The piece Roses in a Vase by Pierre-Auguste Renoir are a simplistic painting featuring a vase of flowers. The vase contains a variety of plants including what seems to be a white rose, other variation of white flowers, red flowers, and a couple of purple flowers.

The flower container is a standard gourd vase with a shiny copper like finish. According to the reflection on the vase and lack of shadow, the light appears to be coming from the viewer's angle. The pattern of this vase is unsophisticated featuring nothing more than a few lines.

To the left of a vase, is a peculiar object colored brown and white. Despite its strange appearance, it seems that this object is a stretched piece of cloth.

The table itself features a striped pattern with a pinkish red and tinged white color. The backdrop or wall is also a tinged white, much like the table. Finally, an interesting variation of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s signature can be found to the right of the vase.

When Pierre-Auguste Renoir composed the piece Roses in a Vase, he was 31 years old. During this time, Renoir was still unknown and had not achieved fame.

More prominently, this time period of his life was mainly spent with his good friend Monet. Pierre-Auguste Renoir has composed plenty of vase and flower painting in his past but this version was one of his first. During 1872, Renoir and Monet exchanged and shared each other's painting techniques.

As demonstrated in this composition, Renoir has integrated some similar painting techniques that are most commonly used in Monet’s work. The artwork was composed during the impressionism art movement. Roses in a Vase show some characteristics of impressionism work including small and thin brush strokes.

The canvas painting also contains open composition and emphasis on lighting, drawing attention to the flowers. This was a conventional technique used by Renoir in his earlier work. Unlike most pieces, Renoir composed during this time, vibrant and distinguished colors were used in the flower bunch.

This is interesting because it is some of the first signs of Renoir's unique art style showcased in his later more famous work. Another notable characteristic of the painting is the shading on the wall. This was most likely used to create a contrast between the flowers and the background. Consequently, this integrated depth into the piece.

Conclusively, Roses in a Vase or Roses Dans Un Vase is a notable oil canvas piece composed by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1872. During this time, Renoir has yet to become famous and was good friends with Monet, deeply influencing each other's work. The piece features a vase of flowers and demonstrates the influence of impressionism and many techniques unique to Renoir.