Bequest of Alexander Ginn · The Cleveland Museum of Art
Image: public domain (CC0) · Museum record & image source ↗
Laundress and Her Child (Aline and Pierre)
- Date
- c. 1886
- Medium
- pastel on brown paper
- 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.)
- Country / context
- France
- Movement / tradition
- Impressionism · Source ↗
- Collection
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Pathway
- European and American art ↗
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.
Collection text · The Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0Start with what you can see: shapes, surface, colour and scale. How might the listed materials affect the way this object was made and experienced?
Looking prompt · an invitation to observe, not a historical interpretation.
