Shop art print and framed art Nude Girl with Hat and Roses by Auguste Renoir

A synthesis between Impressionism and Modernism

Painted in 1916, this work belongs to Auguste Renoir's late-career paintings, at a period when the painter synthesized Impressionism with a very modern touch. In his final years, the painter remained faithful to the subjects that had made his career so successful, but treated them with an even freer brushstroke that tended to abstract and schematize the motifs depicted.

Work description

"Naked girl with a hat and roses" is structured in an atypical and inventive composition. The painting depicts a scene set in a garden. The painting's horizontal format is just right for a landscape such as this. However, the painter has chosen to block the perspective in the center of the picture with a profusion of roses in full bloom. The bipartite composition depicts, on one side, a nude young woman from behind, wearing a chignon and lightly draped in antique style. On the other, half-hidden by rosebushes, a second female figure wearing a hat seems to be lost among the flowers. Only her face emerges enigmatically from this elegant bouquet of pink, yellow, green and white hues.

Vivid expressions

The two girls' faces flee from the viewer's, and are treated with a schematism that gives them all their vivacity: one has her eyes slightly lowered, lost in contemplation of the flowers, while the other seems to be staring at a point outside the painting. Their cheeks are rosy, full of health, and their very red mouths show a shy smile. This expression, both gentle and discreet, expresses a certain innocence that undoubtedly cites the scenes of leisure, happiness and lightness characteristic of Impressionist painting.

A work of maturity

Although "Naked Girl with a Hat and Roses" is not one of Renoir's most famous canvases, there's no denying that it testifies to the maturity of a painter who had a career spanning almost half a century. Indeed, this work allows us to observe several characteristic aspects of Renoir's style. For example, the attention paid to light is evident here: as with his other Impressionist paintings, Renoir emphasizes the subtle use of light to create striking contrasts and highlight different textures. The delicate rendering of skin and the representation of the female body is one of Renoir's favorite subjects, and here he manages to capture the silky texture of the two models' skin with remarkable precision. What's more, the mastery of color is expressed here through a limited palette, but one that manages to compose harmonies of nuance. This use of color gives an impression of lightness and freshness characteristic of Auguste Renoir's painting.

This artwork is a painting from the modern period. It belongs to the impressionism style.