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The Onions
1881
Oil on canvas
39.1 x 60.6 cm
Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark, 1922
1955.588

 

Notes:
Renoir painted this remarkable still life in Naples, Italy. From these mundane objects--a group of yellow onions and a couple bunches of garlic placed on a table top--Renoir created a dynamic composition. Quick, parallel brushstrokes convey both a sense of the onions' papery skins and the rich atmosphere that surrounds them. The Onions is believed to have been Sterling Clark's favorite painting by the artist.