Tea Time

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

Although Renoir produced this sunlit scene during the last decade of his life, the composition echoes the depictions of leisure he painted during the height of his impressionist period. The seated figure is Amélie Dieterle, a celebrated actress, chanteuse, and mistress of the founder of the Gallimard publishing house, Paul Gallimard. The figure in red is Gabrielle Renard, the nursemaid for the Renoir family, whom the artist painted frequently. Despite the physical proximity of the two women, there is no sign of deeper interaction—perhaps to emphasize the difference in their social status.

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