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Laundress and Her Child (Aline and Pierre)

Pierre-Auguste Renoirc. 1886

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

In this idealization of motherhood and rural life, Auguste Renoir depicted his future wife, Aline Charigot, with their son Pierre. Bright colors, including warm orange and yellow, are contrasted with cool blues and greens to create a dramatic impact. Renoir took full advantage of pastel’s unique optical properties, in which minute, irregular particles diffusely reflect light, allowing for an unparalleled velvety brilliance that is perfectly suited to portray the youthful bloom of the woman and child.

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Details

  • Title: Laundress and Her Child (Aline and Pierre)
  • Creator: Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)
  • Date Created: c. 1886
  • Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 81.5 x 65 cm (32 1/16 x 25 9/16 in.); Mounted: 82.6 x 65.9 cm (32 1/2 x 25 15/16 in.); Framed: 99 x 82.5 x 4.2 cm (39 x 32 1/2 x 1 5/8 in.)
  • Provenance: (Georges Petit, Paris), (Durand-Ruel, Paris, transferred to Durand-Ruel, New York), (Durand-Ruel, New York), (Reinhardt Galleries, New York), (Durand-Ruel, New York), Mr. [1868–1938] and Mrs. Frank Ginn, Cleveland, by descent to Alexander Ginn, Cleveland, Alexander Ginn [d. 1999], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Drawing
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1977.167
  • Medium: pastel on brown paper
  • Inscriptions: stamped, lower right, in black ink: Renoir [Lugt 2137b]
  • Fun Fact: Auguste Renoir also realized this composition as a painting in oil on canvas which is in the collection of the Barnes Foundation today.
  • Department: Drawings
  • Culture: France, 19th century
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Alexander Ginn
  • Collection: DR - French
  • Accession Number: 1977.167

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