Madame Georges Charpentier (Marguérite-Louise Lemonnier, 1848–1904) and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe (1872–1945) and Paul-Émile-Charles (1875–1895)
1878
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
60 1/2 x 74 7/8 in. (153.7 x 190.2 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1907
Accession Number
07.122
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1878, Pierre-Auguste Renoir captured tender family moment in *Madame Georges CharpentierMarguérite-Lou Lemonnier, 1848–1904) and Her Children, Georgetteerthe (1872–1945) and PaulÉmile-Charles (5–1895)*, an oil on canvas portrait now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings department. This large-scale work (60½ × 74⅞ inches) depicts the elegant socialite with her young daughter and son, accompanied by a loyal dog, all seated in a lavish interior. Renoir, a leading Impressionist, showcases his mastery of intimate group portraits, blending the formality of commissioned pa...
About the Artist
Auguste Renoir · 1841–1919
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), born in Limoges to a modest tailor's family, displayed prodigious talent early on, apprenticed at age thirteen to the Lévy Frères porcelain factory in Paris after his family relocated there in 1845. There, he decorated fine china with floral designs, fans, and religious hangings, honing his skills in color and draftsmanship. By 1862, having saved enough, Renoir s...