Small Study for a Nude

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1882

A nude woman with long blond hair stands in front of a landscape in this vertical painting. Brushstrokes are visible and textured throughout so details are loosely painted and indistinct. The woman’s body is painted in shades of pale and shell pink, and a few strokes suggest an arm wrapped across her middle and two legs. Next to her, in the lower left corner of the canvas, is an area painted thickly with white and blue brushstrokes. Behind the woman, there appears to be a light blue body of water. Soft horizontal green and red strokes just above it may represent land, merging with a light blue horizon. On the right of the canvas, bright yellow dashes suggest flowers. The artist signed the lower right corner with a cursive “R.”
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Date
1882
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
13.3 × 10.3 cm
Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Licence
Public domain, CC0

Image description

A nude woman with long blond hair stands in front of a landscape in this vertical painting. Brushstrokes are visible and textured throughout so details are loosely painted and indistinct. The woman’s body is painted in shades of pale and shell pink, and a few strokes suggest an arm wrapped across her middle and two legs. Next to her, in the lower left corner of the canvas, is an area painted thickly with white and blue brushstrokes. Behind the woman, there appears to be a light blue body of water. Soft horizontal green and red strokes just above it may represent land, merging with a light blue horizon. On the right of the canvas, bright yellow dashes suggest flowers. The artist signed the lower right corner with a cursive “R.”

Pierre-Auguste Renoir