Woman with a Cat
c. 1875
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 56 x 46.4 cm (22 1/16 x 18 1/4 in.) framed: 85.1 x 75.9 x 7.6 cm (33 1/2 x 29 7/8 x 3 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin E. Levy
Accession Number
1950.12.1
Art Historical Context
**Woman with a Cat**, painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir around 1875, captures an intimate domestic moment in oil on canvas, measuring a modest 56 x 46.4 cm. This work exemplifies Renoir's early mastery within the Impressionist movement, he helped pioneer alongside Monet and others. Rejecting the rigid academic standards of the Paris Salon, Impressionists like Renoir embraced loose, vibrant brushwork to depict everyday life with a focus on light, color, and spontaneity. Renoir's technique here likely employs his signature feathery strokes and warm palette, rendering the woman's soft features an...
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...