Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Galerie Raeber, Basel (until 1938)
Private Collection, Switzerland (sale: Sotheby’s, London, 3^rd December 1975, lot 3)
Private Collection, United Kingdom (purchased at the above sale)
A gift from the above to the present owner

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, Pastels et Dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paris, 1918, vol. II, illustrated p. 116
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles 1895 - 1902, Paris, 2009, vol. III, no. 2192, illustrated p. 279

The canvas is lined. There do not appear to be any signs of retouching visible under UV light examination. There is a rich impasto and this work is in overall very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Young women reading and other domestic feminine activities dominate the scenes of social life that Renoir painted in the 1890s. Jeune fille lisant, painted circa 1895, exemplifies the fluid, soft brushwork and nuanced palette that is so typical of Renoir's style at the turn of the century. Moving away from cooler colours, firm contours, and the clear distinction between figure and background that characterises his portraits from the mid-1880s, Renoir organised his compositions with correlated colours on the canvas to achieve a sense of formal unity. The tangible forms in this work are surrounded by a warm, almost translucent atmosphere that the painter created with the creamy, expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colours of his mature style.

The modest background that surrounds the young woman is imbued with a sense of bourgeois calm and comfort: she is absorbed in her book, and sits tranquilly on a soft armchair, still wearing her hat. Renoir emphasises the lyrical quality of colour, testing warmer hues of red and pink offset by cooler greens and blues to describe a calm scene of domesticity, intimacy and quietude. An ennobler of the mundane, Renoir painted for visual delight, immersing himself in his modern, contradictory world, and emerging only with images of pleasure.