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Auguste Renoir (artist) French, 1841 - 1919 A Girl with a Watering Can, 1876 oil on canvas Overall: 100.3 x 73.2 cm (39 1/2 x 28 13/16 in.) framed: 125.7 x 97.5 x 6.9 cm (49 1/2 x 38 3/8 x 2 11/16 in.) Chester Dale Collection 1963.10.206 |
The harsh reception of the first impressionist group exhibition and disastrous results of an auction that Renoir optimistically organized in 1875 placed him in dire financial straits. Perhaps as a remedy, within the year he began to paint anecdotal depictions of women and children, subjects in which he excelled. A Girl with a Watering Can, typical of these works, displays a mature impressionist style attuned to the specific requirements of figure painting. Renoir's colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while his handling is more controlled and regular than in his landscapes, with even brushstrokes applied in delicate touches, especially in the face. Brilliant prismatic hues envelope the little girl in an atmosphere of warm light and charmingly convey her innocent appeal.
Specific identifications have been proposed for the girl, but none is convincing. More probably Renoir depicted a neighborhood child whose pretty features pleased the artist. A girl with similar curly blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, plump pink cheeks, and smiling red lips appears, similarly clad, in a painting of about five years later. Further recurrence suggests that she became a commercially viable stock figure in Renoir's repertory. A Girl with a Watering Can, designed to attract portrait commissions, is a showcase of the grace and charm of the artist's work.