Artwork
Mademoiselle Sicot
Mademoiselle Sicot is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:center right: A. RENOIR / 1865
About this work
Technique & Style
The canvas support and oil medium facilitate the artist's handling of light and texture typical of his technique during this period.
Mademoiselle Sicot is an oil painting executed on canvas by Auguste Renoir in 1865. The work measures 116 cm in height and 89.5 cm in width. As a portrait, it uses oil paint to render the sitter with the formal qualities characteristic of Renoir's mid-1860s output.
The canvas support and oil medium facilitate the artist's handling of light and texture typical of his technique during this period. The painting remains in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Mademoiselle Sicot was painted by Auguste Renoir in 1865; the oil-on-canvas portrait is said to have remained with its sitter, who gave it to her friend Aline Ménard-Dorian. After Ménard-Dorian's death the work appeared at the Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, on 2 December 1929 (lot 13) and was acquired by the Parisian dealer Georges Bernheim. It subsequently passed through the Demotte Galleries and, in 1930, was sold jointly with the Marie Sterner Galleries of New York to the collector Chester Dale.
Dale bequeathed the painting to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1963, where it remains. No specific exhibition history beyond its permanent display is detailed in the available records.
Overview
Auguste Renoir painted Mademoiselle Sicot in 1865, creating an oil portrait on canvas. This work captures a seated woman, whose identity is given in the title, against a subdued interior background. The painting exemplifies Renoir's early approach to portraiture, characterized by a direct gaze and a focus on the sitter's presence, while also showcasing his developing brushwork that would become a hallmark of his later style.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts Mademoiselle Sicot seated in a chair, her posture composed and still. She wears a dark purple coat adorned with black lace, complemented by a white collar, a black bow tie, and a matching hat. The background is minimally detailed, featuring a dark, greenish wall partially obscured by a red curtain, which serves to emphasize the figure rather than distract from her.
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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.
