Listen to co-curator Sarah Lees describe a painting of a nude once owned by sculptor Auguste Rodin.
Renoir made several studies and paintings of a seated, brown-haired model with bangs, sometimes placing the figure in a sunny landscape. Although this work was probably executed in his studio, the dappled light effects and varied shades of green in the background suggest an outdoor atmosphere, which might link this painting to other similar works. Fellow artist Auguste Rodin—himself expert at creating nude figures in sculpture—had long appreciated the painting and acquired it from its first owner in 1910.
Seated Nude, ca. 1880
Oil on canvas
Musée Rodin, Paris; P.07334
Image © Musée Rodin, photo Hervé Lewandowski.
Renoir made this work in a period when he was beginning to reconsider his painting methods and to seek more structure and precision in his compositions. Although the figure and background are executed with energetic, soft brushstrokes similar to the handling that characterized his Impressionist canvases of the previous decade, the contours of the model’s head and torso are more clearly defined and set off from her surroundings, a technique Renoir developed further in the following years. This work was most likely painted in the studio, although the varied greens of the background and the play of light and dark tones over the figure suggest an outdoor atmosphere. Indeed, several related works of this period feature seated models placed within landscape settings, even if Renoir probably composed these backgrounds from memory rather than from direct observation. Some of the models are dark-haired with bangs, as in this painting, while others have fair hair and features that were probably inspired by Aline Charigot, Renoir’s companion and future wife, who modeled for him regularly in the 1880s.