Nude with Castanets

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

The woman's red-toned flesh and pear-shaped figure are typical of Renoir's late nudes. She emerges playing castanets from under a frame of curtains topped with a garland of leaves. Women playing music were traditional motifs in decorative painting and architectural ornament; Renoir had previously painted a similar theme to decorate a room in a client's home. Although this work is small, the sculptural treatment of the figure gives it a monumental character. Indeed, Renoir designed a similar composition to be cast as relief sculpture.

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