Pierre Auguste RENOIR (1841-1919), Girls at the Piano, 1892

color heliogravure, heavy vellum paper; 23 x 31 (plate imprint), 28 x 38 (framed);
signed from plate under composition "Renoir", publisher's dry stamp l. d. : letter K surrounded by the words "EDITION LIMITED CERTIFIED ARTS USA EUROPE SINCE 1998"; numbered in pencil 21/350 Original certificate.
Renoir, a lover of music, like most Impressionists, often depicted young girls at the piano. The subject matter derives from painted gatherings of musicians in the 17th and 18th centuries, perhaps also from the work of his contemporaries: Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Edouard Manet (1832-1883) or Edgard Degas (1834-1917). Renoir thus takes on a traditional subject that combines the geometric lines of a piano with the undulating movements of young girls. However, he avoids placing too much detail to focus on the two female figures. Seen in profile, a young blonde woman deciphers the score, which she plays with her right hand. At his side, a young brunette woman bent over the piano is tracing the score with her eyes. The painting may have been created in the home of Renoir, who gave the piano to his wife in 1890. There are at least six other versions of this painting. Renoir undoubtedly used the same models as in "Portrait of Two Little Girls" at the Musée de l'Orangerie.