Washerwoman and Child (La Blanchisseuse et son enfant)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

In this loving portrait Renoir depicts his wife, Aline, holding the first of their three sons. He made this work a few years after traveling to Italy to study the old masters, a trip that had an enormous impact on his career. For this work, Renoir dried out his colors—blotting as much oil as he could from the paint—to give the canvas the chalky look of an Italian fresco.

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