Child Reading (Enfant lisant)
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● On view now — Collection Gallery, Room 02, East Wall
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · verified July 2026
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FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
A young girl with long, auburn locks leans forward over a table, eagerly reading her book. Her happy absorption in her activity parallels Renoir's own in painting her. He forms her round, rosy cheek with layers of feathery strokes, its form echoed by the puffed shoulder of her frock. Her lustrous hair, described with yellows, browns, and reds, tumbles down her back, emphasizing the diagonal line of her body. One of the first works to enter the collection, this picture conveys Renoir's vision of the unselfconscious freshness and innocence of childhood.
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