Renoir, Pierre-Auguste (1841-1919)
Femme laçant sa chaussure (Woman Tying her Shoe)
c.1918
Oil on canvas, 50.5 x 56.5 cm
Courtauld Institute of Art, London
This is one of the final paintings Pierre-Auguste Renoir made before his death the following year. Having become disillusioned with Impressionism in the 1880s, he sought a style and subject matter that would align him with, in his words, the ‘grandeur and simplicity of the ancient painters’. A move from Paris to the south of France saw him forgo the modern urban subjects of works such as La loge (Room 9) to focus instead on idealised images of women engaged in domestic activities like washing or dressing. It also encouraged his use of warm, opulent colours, applied in luscious brushstrokes. (Courtauld)