Description
Shown in profile against a richly streaked background of maroon, rust and gold, this portrait centres on a child with long, wavy blond hair falling well past the shoulders. The pale face, turned to the left, is painted with delicate touches of pink at the cheek and a small, softly parted mouth, while the eye is reduced to a single dark, gentle mark. A blue-grey garment is suggested at the shoulders in loose, unfinished strokes that dissolve toward the bottom of the canvas.
The background is built from long vertical strokes of red, brown and orange, almost like weathered wood or drapery, giving the whole composition a warm, glowing frame around the cooler blond hair and pale skin. Renoir lets the paint stay loose and visible throughout, particularly in the flowing hair, where individual strands of gold, ochre and grey-green are laid in with quick, feathery strokes.
This portrait, held at the Denver Art Museum, is offered as a hand-painted oil reproduction on canvas or as an archival giclee canvas print. It is a reproduction, not the original painting.
