The Reader (also known as Young Woman Reading a Book) – 1875 Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Description of Pierre Auguste Renoir’s painting The Reading Girl

Hard work on the portrait of the reading girl helped the artist Renoir, to achieve a sense of blinding sun glare. The light ignites the already bright red hair and falls directly onto the former pages of an open book, reflecting off the paper onto the snow-white young face. Sunlight spreads everywhere.

The paints the artist applies a special thick technique, not using smooth and soft strokes. On the canvas they look separate, but at the same time integral spots. For example, a bow placed on the neck, made with thick white strokes. And on top of it rough strokes of blue and red paint. All these strokes are combined into a single whole, and depict a subtle play of reflections of the sun’s color. Such extraordinary techniques permeate the entire painting of the artist.

Paints are applied by dense strokes, dots or simply rubbed on the canvas with a spatula or even a finger. In places where the artist concentrates complex lighting effects, he applies double and triple layers. All of them merge into a single lush symphony of light and shadow, conveying the charm of the afternoon sun.

Renoir managed to capture the moment. Such a simple subject of the work helps the viewer to focus on the whole painting, the skill of the author, able to depict such a charming moment. All the contours in the picture are shaky, not clear and not drawn, the main role in the work is given to the color variety and solution.

A special elegance of the picture is given by such a significant contrast: light skin, hair and book pages on the background of a dark blue wall. The glare of light gently rests on the girl’s blouse, delineating and accentuating the voluminous shoulder. Not surprisingly, this Renoir painting is considered by many experts to be the pinnacle of French Impressionism.