In 1884 Renoir turned away from pure impressionism to concentrate on a more clearly defined classicism. This shift became more evident over the following three years as he laboured over Les Grandes Baigneuses (D514), now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In all the works from this period Renoir was clearly aiming for greater control of form, tauter pictorial organisation and a sculpturality in his figures which had not existed previously. In the present painting the figure of the young girl is carefully modelled, her strong contours contrasting with the flat, indistinct background. His brushwork is smooth and polished in the girl's face and intentionally looser elsewhere, in her hair and in the patches of colour in the background. By this means he gives substance to her physical presence whilst also producing an alluring delicacy. The soft pastel shades, the warm reds and yellows, enhance this effect. The same muted palette and control of form is visible in another female portrait of 1886, his celebrated Madame Renoir avec Pierre (D496) in the Norton Simon Foundation, Los Angeles.