Claude Monet
1872
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 65 x 50 cm (25 9/16 x 19 11/16 in.) framed: 85.1 x 70.5 x 9.2 cm (33 1/2 x 27 3/4 x 3 5/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1985.64.35
Art Historical Context
In 1872, Auguste Renoir painted this intimate portrait of his close and fellow artist Claude Monet, capturing the essence of their shared artistic world. Titled simply *Claude Monet*, oil on canvas measures a modest 65 x 50 cm, making it a personal study rather than a grand statement. Housed in the National Gallery of Art as part of the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, it exemplifies the early bonds of Impressionism, a revolutionary movement that Renoir and Monet helped pioneer. The work dates to a pivotal moment just before Impressionism's first public exhibition in 1874. Renoir, know...
About the Artist
Auguste Renoir · 1841–1919
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was a founding figure of Impressionism whose luminous depictions of Parisian leisure, sensuous female forms, and sun-dappled landscapes made him one of the most beloved painters in Western art history. Born in Limoges to a working-class family, Renoir began as a porcelain painter before pursuing fine arts, and this early craft experience gave him facility with the...