Artwork
Young Girl Bathing
Young Girl Bathing is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created in 1896, this oil painting by Pierre‑Auguste Renoir portrays a young woman in a moment of private intimacy.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a nude young girl with strawberry‑blond, waist‑length hair, seated in a patch of greenery and viewed from three‑quarters, as described in the work’s records. Her pose and the surrounding foliage evoke ideas of innocent sensuality and the fleeting light characteristic of Impressionism, while the modest presentation of a bathing figure reflects contemporary ideals of natural purity. The composition balances erotic undertones with a focus on youthful vitality, suggesting both personal intimacy and a broader celebration of feminine grace in late‑19th‑century French art.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1896, Young Girl Bathing is an oil painting on canvas, adhering to the Impressionist movement.
Executed in 1896, Young Girl Bathing is an oil painting on canvas, adhering to the Impressionist movement. The work features a vertical format measuring 81.3 by 64.8 centimeters. Visually, the piece depicts a nude female figure with strawberry blond, waist-length hair, shown in a three-quarter profile from the left while seated amidst greenery during a bath.
The artist signed and dated the composition in the lower-left corner. Stylistically, the painting captures the soft, naturalistic qualities typical of Renoir's late 19th-century nudes, focusing on the interplay of light on the subject's form and the surrounding vegetation.
History & Provenance
Created in 1896, Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Young Girl Bathing is an oil on canvas work signed and dated in the lower left corner. The artist sold the painting to Claude Monet in 1900. Following this initial transfer, the artwork circulated through various private collections before being acquired in 1952 by Robert Lehman in New York.
Upon Lehman's death, the piece entered the public trust via his bequest, arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1975, where it remains part of the collection today as part of the Robert Lehman Collection. While specific accession numbers are not detailed in the provided records, the work's provenance is firmly established through its transfer from the artist to Monet, then to private owners, and finally to the Met via the Lehman bequest.
Overview
Created in 1896, this oil painting by Pierre‑Auguste Renoir portrays a young woman in a moment of private intimacy. She sits on a rock, her torso uncovered, while a towel rests in her hand as she dries her long, wet hair. The surrounding landscape dissolves into a muted blend of greens and browns, suggesting a garden or forest edge.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.
