Cleveland Museum of Art

Laundress and Her Child (Aline and Pierre)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Date

c. 1886

Medium

pastel on brown paper

Culture

France, 19th century

Department

Drawings

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In this idealization of motherhood and rural life, Auguste Renoir depicted his future wife, Aline Charigot, with their son Pierre. Bright colors, including warm orange and yellow, are contrasted with cool blues and greens to create a dramatic impact. Renoir took full advantage of pastel’s unique optical properties, in which minute, irregular particles diffusely reflect light, allowing for an unparalleled velvety brilliance that is perfectly suited to portray the youthful bloom of the woman and child. Auguste Renoir also realized this composition as a painting in oil on canvas which is in the collection of the Barnes Foundation today.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.