Pierre-Auguste Renoir – The Wave

The Wave – the sea as a test of stroke and colour

The Wave is an oil painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir from 1879. The original measures 72.6 cm x 91.6 cm and is held by the Art Institute of Chicago, which lists the work under the title Seascape. We paint our version by hand in oils on canvas, in eight landscape sizes, from 40 x 32 to 120 x 100 cm, and on request in a size that is not on the list.

The breaking of waves at the shore

The painting is an open test of brushwork and colour; the sea in it fairly brims over with energy. Renoir caught the moment when the waves break and drive against the shore, and that breaking is the only subject of the scene – there is no boat, no coastline with buildings, no figure to look at instead of the water. Because nothing else holds the eye, the whole weight is on how the paint is laid, and with that the painting stands or falls.

Why hand-painted, not a print

Our version is not a print. Moving water is made of short strokes that do not run together and have no edge; a print gives them an edge and the wave stiffens into a motionless pattern. A hand-painted canvas leaves every stroke different in direction and density, so the foam stays foam rather than becoming a white area, and the sea keeps moving even when the viewer stands still in front of it.

In the room

The subject is horizontal and restless, but without hard contrasts, so it works where a painting is allowed to bring movement: a living room above the sofa, a bathroom with enough light, or a hallway. For an ordinary room we suggest 80 x 65 or 100 x 80 cm. On a large wall 110 x 90 or 120 x 100 cm works, where the individual strokes in the foam separate from one another. The smallest size, 40 x 32 cm, only makes sense from close to, on a shelf or in a narrow passage, because from a distance the wave merges into an even grey.

What you receive

We paint the canvas to order, by hand and for you alone, so every copy is made on its own; the canvas is usually painted and dried within three to four weeks. If you prefer, we will paint it in a size that is not on the list. Before despatch we send you a photograph of the finished canvas for your approval, and only then does the painting go out. The Wave arrives stretched on a wooden frame and ready to hang, wrapped in protective film and in rigid packaging, with no further stretching or finishing needed.

• Subject: waves breaking at the shore, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
• Technique: hand-painted oil painting on canvas, stretched on a wooden frame
• Sizes: 8 sizes, from 40 x 32 cm to 120 x 100 cm, another size on request
• Detail worth knowing: the Art Institute of Chicago lists the work under the title Seascape, while here it is known as The Wave

See also:

• Landscape at Wargemont
• Beaulieu Landscape
• La Grenouillère