1907 -1919 · olive trees, southern light and last landscapes

At Collettes, Renoir painted pines, olive trees, farm and figures on the balcony in a Mediterranean light which accompanied his last years despite illness.

Renoir moved to Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1907 and acquired the Collettes estate, in particular to preserve its old olive trees. Despite severe polyarthritis, he continued to work with the help of relatives and assistants for his travels and equipment. The Pines in Cagnes structure the landscape with flexible trunks and a warm depth. The Oliviers use silver foliage, red earth and colored shadows to give the South a density different from the banks of the Seine. The Oliviers use silver foliage, red earth and colored shadows to give the South a density different from the banks of the Seine. The Oliviers use silver foliage, red earth and colored shadows to give the South a density different from the banks of the Seine. The Ferme des Collettes places the life of the estate in this vegetation. A young woman on the balcony finally reintroduces the figure into the landscape: architecture, body and light share the same late softness. Cagnes is not a withdrawal from creation, but a workshop open to an everyday environment. The "Renoir à Cagnes-sur-Mer" selection notably compares Pins à Cagnes - Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Oliviers, Cagnes - Pierre-Auguste Renoir. His reading favors figures.

In Cagnes, Renoir does not seek the exoticism of the South: he paints an inhabited place until light, trees and bodies share the same warmth.