EPPH - Every Painter Paints Himself

The letters of the alphabet have long been thought of as highly significant. Some ancient Greek philosophers considered them the building blocks of reality. Islam used them in magical practices. In early Christianity, Christ’s name was signified by a variety of letter combinations, such as I-X or X-P, and early medieval readers believed even the shape of letters conveyed meaning.{ref1} In a long tradition too, Western artists have created scenes that contain disguised letters, as this scene by Renoir helps demonstrate.{ref2} 

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In this detail from the lower left corner, Renoir’s signature is linked through the line of shadows to two figures, walking in opposite directions. Any idea what they are? Think about it.

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The woman with her parasol is an R for Renoir. At the same time, however, her forearm crosses her torso making her an A for Auguste as well.  

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The man with the basket also forms an A, the edge of his smock as the crossbar. And like her, he is an R as well but this time inverted. It seems to me that the A is theoretically inverted too, but being symmetrical doesn't change.

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Great artists like Renoir were well aware that major art represents the mirror of the artist's mind, which is how the philosopher Marsilio Ficino had described Renaissance art centuries earlier.{ref3} Thus, Renoir's duplication of his initials and their inversion makes sense. Back to back, the man goes inwards, the woman outwards, just as an artist looks both inwards and outwards. His initials, male and female, signal the androgyny and purity of an artist's mind which, at its best, is universal.{ref4}