L'œuvre en bref

This painting belongs to a series of works in which Auguste Renoir devotes himself to young girls absorbed in intimate activities: reading, music, conversation. By this time, the artist was gradually moving away from pure Impressionism in favor of fuller forms and a blended touch, which he himself would call his "pearly manner." The motif of reading, particularly dear to Renoir, allowed him to explore the gentleness of a suspended moment, far from Parisian bustle, a theme also explored by Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt.

The two young girls, heads tilted toward one another, share the reading of a book in a posture of deep intimacy. The large straw hat adorned with red and pink ribbons dominates the composition, forming a kind of floral halo that frames the two faces. The girls' red and blonde hair mingles with the green foliage of the background in a gradation of warm tones that dissolves all contours. Renoir applies a fluid, velvety touch here, almost caressing, in which forms seem to emerge from a coloured mist. The flowered white dress of the girl on the right, rendered in fine pink and green strokes, contrasts delicately with the vivid reds of the bows. The whole exudes an atmosphere of peaceful tenderness, characteristic of the painter's mature period.

Looking to buy another Auguste Renoir reproduction? Browse all our reproductions by this artist.