Esquisses de baigneuses

The present work reflects Renoir's life-long interest in the classical theme of a female nude. It is also a typical example of his improvisatory way of working out his ideas on a subject through a series of juxtaposed studies. The two cenytral figures - one drawn in red chalk and the other in pencil - recall in their gentle torsion the figure at the left of the Philadelphia Great Bathers, as does the compositional sketch at the lower right of the sheet. The smaller studies of heads and shoulders in pencil and pen and ink at the upper and lower right are less distinct in their inspiration.