Portrait of a Girl

Renoir, renowned as one of the Impressionists most adept at portraiture, continued to paint portraits, particularly of girls, throughout his life. This painting, dating from the final years of the artist’s life, depicts the lively charm of a young girl with a rosy complexion, a dreamy gaze, and a smile on her mouth. Despite worsening rheumatism in his later years, film footage shot by his son, the filmmaker Jean Renoir, shows Renoir energetically painting, with assistants aiding the limited movements of his hands. This painting reflects Renoir’s enduring ambition to immortalize the fresh, youthful countenances of young girls on canvas. (F.R.)