Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on this day in 1941. Renoir was one of the key figures of the Impressionism, and I want to share one of my favourite portraits by the French Master: "Two Sisters".
I had a chance to see this painting at a temporary exhibition in the Hermitage Museum in 2001. Like with all the best paintings, a photo does not do it justice; it has an incredible sense of presence and atmosphere, like you are looking out of the window. This painting’s title is “Two Sisters”, the alternative title “On the Terrace”. Renoir painted it when he was 40 years old, in 1881, on the same terrace of a hotel where he painted a number of other works. The model for the older “sister” was Jeanne Darlot, a future actress, who was 18 years old at the time. The identity of the younger girl is not known, but the understanding is they are not related.
Soon after the painted was completed it was purchased by art dealer and patron Paul Durand-Ruel for 1500 francs. It was first shown to the public at the Impressionists’ exhibition in 1882. In 1925 the painting was bought by Annie S. Coburn for $100,000. She bequeathed the painting to the Art Institute of Chicago where it has been remaining since 1933.
I had a chance to see this painting at a temporary exhibition in the Hermitage Museum in 2001. Like with all the best paintings, a photo does not do it justice; it has an incredible sense of presence and atmosphere, like you are looking out of the window. This painting’s title is “Two Sisters”, the alternative title “On the Terrace”. Renoir painted it when he was 40 years old, in 1881, on the same terrace of a hotel where he painted a number of other works. The model for the older “sister” was Jeanne Darlot, a future actress, who was 18 years old at the time. The identity of the younger girl is not known, but the understanding is they are not related.
Soon after the painted was completed it was purchased by art dealer and patron Paul Durand-Ruel for 1500 francs. It was first shown to the public at the Impressionists’ exhibition in 1882. In 1925 the painting was bought by Annie S. Coburn for $100,000. She bequeathed the painting to the Art Institute of Chicago where it has been remaining since 1933.