Reading (La Lecture)
c. 1891
Oil on canvas
46 × 56 cm (18.1 × 22 in)
SEE IT IN PERSON
● On view now — Collection Gallery, Room 08, West Wall
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · verified July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
Coveted for their charm, beauty, and nuanced expressions, Renoir's paintings of children typically portray their protagonists absorbed in music-making, flower-picking, writing, or reading. Beginning in the 1890s, Renoir painted an extended series of canvases showing two young girls in a variety of activities and surroundings. Their interactions underline their harmonious relationship and conform to idyllic images of childhood. The feathery cursive brushwork imparts a veil-like haze that heightens the sense of nostalgia.
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More by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
The Apple Seller
Madame Léon Clapisson
Near the Lake
Landscape with Woman in Pink and White (Paysage avec femme e
Woman in Red in a Landscape (Femme en rouge dans un paysage)
The Seine at Argenteuil (La Seine à Argenteuil)
Children on the Seashore, Guernsey (Enfants au bord de la me
Girl at the Foot of a Tree (Fillette au pied d'un arbre)
