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Lot Essay
The present work is a portrait of Pierre, the first child of Aline Charigot and the artist. Pierre was six months old when his father first began to use him in his compositions. While long curls were in fashion for young boys in the late 1880s, Renior was inspired to paint portraits of his children prior to their first haircut, in an effort to capture their childhood innocence. Once their tresses were cut, however, Renoir rarely used them as models. Thus, Pierre was eventually replaced by his younger brother Jean, who in turn was replaced by Claude.
Göutz Adriani has written:
Few painters besides Renoir had mastered the difficult task of portraying children in an appropriate--i.e. child-oriented--way. Renoir's own interpretations of the theme treat the child and its inner world with great caution, loving interest and a natural humanity that avoids all traces of coquettishness, affection or mawkish sweetness. With respect to children in particular, Renoir was a highly objective observer (in Renoir, exh. cat., Kunsthalle Tübingen, 1996, p. 282).
Göutz Adriani has written:
Few painters besides Renoir had mastered the difficult task of portraying children in an appropriate--i.e. child-oriented--way. Renoir's own interpretations of the theme treat the child and its inner world with great caution, loving interest and a natural humanity that avoids all traces of coquettishness, affection or mawkish sweetness. With respect to children in particular, Renoir was a highly objective observer (in Renoir, exh. cat., Kunsthalle Tübingen, 1996, p. 282).