Description
Renoir fills the canvas almost entirely with a single gnarled tree, its reddish brown trunk twisting upward and dividing into branches at the centre of the composition, surrounded on all sides by dense, sun-dappled foliage in yellow greens and olive. Only small patches of pale blue sky at the upper edges break through the leaves, showing how close the painter has placed himself to his subject.
The tall, narrow format and tight cropping are unusual among Renoir’s landscapes, which more often open onto a wide view; here the whole picture is given over to the texture of bark, leaf and light seen at close range.
The original is held by the Barnes Foundation. What is offered here is a faithful reproduction: a hand-painted oil version on canvas, recreated stroke by stroke by a professional painter, or an archival canvas print made with fade-resistant pigment inks, available in a range of sizes.
