Woman and Child in the Grass (Femme avec enfant sur l'herbe)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

The interaction between atmospheric effects and the human figure lies at the heart of the impressionist enterprise and the practice of painting en plein air . The transformative power of sunlight and shadow on objects fascinated Renoir and his peers. After abandoning explicitly contemporary subjects during the early 1880s, Renoir began to explore different ways of integrating figures into rural settings. In his later work, such as this scene depicting a woman and small child, the subjects rarely engage actively with the surrounding landscapes as they enjoy moments of repose and beauty.

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