Rising (Le Lever)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

In the early morning light, a woman has just gotten out of bed and is getting dressed. She stands awkwardly as one garment slips off while she tries to get another one on. Despite the mundane nature of this transitory moment, Renoir imbues this work with a sense of history. The voyeuristic subject of the Lever, or getting up, references 18th-century French rococo paintings of women glimpsed in the privacy of their bedrooms getting ready. This intimate work thus has an art historical lineage that belies its seemingly casual nature.

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