Paris, 1890. Renoir captures a perfect moment: two young girls absorbed in their reading, complicit and tender. Their faces lean toward one another, creating a bubble of intimacy. The Impressionist painter captures here the very essence of friendship and the shared pleasure of reading.
Impressionist Softness Embodied
Observe these fluid and vibrant brushstrokes, Renoir’s signature. Colors blend with remarkable delicacy. Light seems to caress the faces, illuminating cheeks and blonde hair. The touch is light, almost tender. Contours dissolve into a cottony atmosphere. The white hat punctuated with coral red draws the eye toward the upper composition. The floral patterns of the dresses add a delicate note, almost Japoniste. The oil on canvas creates that distinctive texture, between blur and precision.
The Era of Bourgeois Leisure
This work bears witness to the Belle Époque and its social transformations. Reading became a valued leisure activity in the French bourgeoisie. Renoir immortalizes these moments of shared culture, far from the constraints of work. Impressionism then celebrated modern life, fleeting instants, the beauty of everyday existence. These young girls represent a new generation, educated and refined. The painter rejected historical subjects in favor of intimate and luminous scenes.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) revolutionized painting with the Impressionists. He favored female portraits imbued with softness and sensuality. His style evolved toward greater classicism in the 1890s, the period of this work held at LACMA.
Think about it
💭 How does this reading scene differ from academic feminine representations of the 19th century?
About This Work
- Two Girls Reading
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- circa 1890-1891
- Oil on canvas
- 56.52 × 48.26 cm (22 1/4 × 19 in.)
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
- https://collections.lacma.org/node/236306
