Seated Woman

Pierre Auguste Renoir 1841 - 1919

Summary

This study is an example of Renoir's preoccupation with the effects of light and colour. The model is seated on a wooden chair, with her left arm resting on the chair back and her hands folded in front of her. She sits upright with her head bent forward, in a pose that appears somewhat artificial. She is shown in a pale apricot skirt with a deeper orange-pink jacket on top, against a contrasting yellow, green and cream background of broad brushstrokes. Renoir trained first in a porcelain factory, after which he joined the studio of Charles Gleyre (1806-1874), who also taught Monet and Sisley. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (1862-1864) and exhibited irregularly at the Salon from 1863-1890, and with the Impressionists during the 1870s and 1880s.