item details
Overview
One of the greatest masters of French Impressionism who remains best-known for his paintings, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) created slightly over fifty original etchings or lithographs during his lifetime. His first original graphic work of art was created in 1890 and, during the following ten years, he was encouraged to produce more etchings and lithographs by his friends, such as the etcher Roux-Champion and the publisher Ambrose Vollard. The themes of Renoir's prints are very much akin to those of his paintings; scenes of people he admired, children, bathers, nudes (as here), all examined in the ever-changing light of the moment.
This etching, dated 1910, is a fairly close counterpart to the Bather drying her leg (1910; Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo). It is a good, lifetime impression of the hallmark Renoir female bathing nude. The very young woman is depicted standing in water up to her knees. It was first published in 1910 for Théodore Duret's folio, Histoire des peintres Impressionistes (published in English as Manet and the French Impressionists). Later editions date from 1919 and, posthumously printed, 1923.
See: Busacca Gallery, http://www.busaccagallery.com/catalog.php?catid=117&itemid=4023#\
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art May 2018