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Overview

Renoir wrote that he had produced this painting as a study of a nude, the sort of exercise that was a mainstay of the academic tradition of painting from a posed model in the studio. Notice, for example, that the woman's foot rests on an elevated perch, and that a prop relieves the strain of her raised arms. Such devices were necessary for a model to maintain her pose. This model, though, is Lise Tréhot, the artist's mistress, and in the end, as Renoir admitted, "the picture was considered pretty improper." He said he added the bow, the dead animal, and the deerskin to transform Lise into Diana, the ancient goddess of the hunt, whose voluptuous nudity would be more acceptable to a Salon jury than that of a real woman. However, the painting was rejected by the Salon in 1867, its portrayal perhaps too close to that of a real, flesh–and–blood woman than to a classical mythological heroine.

The picture's style shows the influence of realist painter Gustave Courbet in the particular attention given to the blood coming from the animal's mouth and the mossy surfaces of the rocks. This is one of the few times Renoir used a palette knife to apply his pigments—a favorite technique of Courbet. However, in the greens of the animal skin and the red accent we see Renoir's own preference for the bright, luminous colors that would distinguish his impressionist pictures only a few years later.

Inscription

lower right: A. RENOIR 1867

Provenance

Dr. Georges Viau [1855-1939], Paris; (his sale, Paris, 21 March 1907, no. 68); purchased by (Bernheim-Jeune, Paris) for an unknown buyer. Alexandre Berthier [1883-1918], 4th Prince de Wagram, Paris; sold probably by his heirs though (Canadeesche Hypothek Bank) through (Étienne Bignou, Paris) to (Alex Reid & Lefèvre, London); on joint account with (M. Knoedler & Co., London, New York and Paris) and (Marcel Kapferer);[1] sold 25 November 1929 to (Etienne Bignou, Paris and New York);[2] sold 16 January 1933 to to Chester Dale [1882-1962], New York; bequest 1963 to NGA.

Exhibition History

1900
Exposition A. Renoir, Galeries Bernheim Jeune et Fils, Paris, 1900, no. 40 as Diane chasseresse.
1913
Renoir, Bernheim-Jeune et Fils, Paris, 1913, no. 1.
1929
The Classical Period of Renoir, M. Knoedler & Co., New York, November 1929, no. X.
1933
A Century of Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933, no. 341.
1965
The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.
2010
From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, Washington, National Gallery of Art, January 2010-January 2012, unnumbered catalogue, repro.
2016
Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870) and The Birth of Impressionism, Musée Fabre, Montpelier; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2016-2017, no. 125 (shown only in Washington).

Bibliography

1911
Meier-Graefe, Julius. Auguste Renoir. Munich, 1911:8-9, repro. p. 11.
1912
Meier-Graefe, Julius. Renoir. Paris, 1912: p. 7 repro.
1918
Vollard, Ambroise. Tableaux, Pastels & Dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Paris, 1918: p3, repro. 372.
1920
André, Albert. "Renoir." Kunst und Künstler. Berlin, 1920: repro. p. 474.
1924
Duret, Théodore. Renoir. Paris, 1924: repro. plate 2.
1925
Coquiot, Gustave. Renoir. Paris, 1925: 223.
1925
Vollard, Ambroise. Renoir: An intimate Record. New York, 1925: 38.
1929
"A Renoir Exhibition." The Burlington Magazine 55, no. 320 (November 1929):252, repro.
1929
Meier-Graefe, Julius. Renoir. Leipzig, 1929: 20-22, repro. p. 17, no. 3.
1933
"Chicago Show to Present French Modern Classics." Art News XXXI, no. 34 (May 20, 1933):repro. p. 1.
1935
Barnes, Albert C. and Violette de Mazia. The Art of Renoir. New York, 1935: no. 4.
1935
Bertram, Anthony. August Renoir. London, 1935: repro. plate I.
1937
Duret, Théodore. Renoir. New York, 1937: repro. 32
1937
McBride, Henry. "The Renoirs in America: In Appreciation of the Metropolitan Museum's Exhibition," Art News 35, no. 31 (1 May 1937):60, repro.
1938
Florisoone, Michel. Renior. Paris, 1938: 16.
1940
Wilenski, R.H. Modern French Painters. New York, 1940:18-19.
1941
Catalogue of French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1941: 12, repro. XXII
1941
Frankfurter, Alfred M. "Now the Great French 19th Century in the National Gallery." Art News 40, no. 17 (December 15-31, 1941):repro. p. 18
1942
French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 61, repro.
1944
Drucker, Michel. Renoir. Paris, 1944:17, 29, 111.
1944
French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1944: 61, repro.
1946
Rewald, John. The History of Impressionism. New York, 1946: repro. 146.
1949
Chamson, André. Renoir. Lausanne, 1949:9, repro. pl. 3
1950
A Loan Exhibition of Renoir for the Benefit of the New York Infirmary. Exh. cat. Wildenstein, New York, 1950: 24.
1950
Pach, Walter. Pierre Auguste Renoir. New York, 1950: 36, repro.
1952
Fox, Milton S. Renoir. New York, 1952: 9, repro.
1953
Berr de Turique, Marcelle. Renoir. Paris, c. 1953: 5.
1953
French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1953: 71, repro.
1954
Rouart, Denis. Renoir. Geneva, 1954: 18, repro.
1961
Fosca, François. Renoir, His Life and Work. London, 1961: repro. 11.
1961
Rewald, John. The History of Impressionism. 3rd rev. ed., New York, 1961:repro. p. 166.
1963
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 324, repro.
1964
Perruchot, Henri. La vie de Renoir. Paris, 1964:47
1965
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Paintings & Sculpture of the French School in the Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 107, repro.
1965
Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 113.
1967
Pool, Phoebe. Impressionism. London, 1967: repro. p. 50
1968
National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 99, repro.
1971
Daulte, Francois. Auguste Renoir, catalogue raisonne de l'oeuvre peint. Vol.I. Figures 1860-1890. Lausanne, 1971: 26, 34, no. 30
1972
Fezzi, Elda. L'opera completa di Renoir nel period impressionista. Milan, 1972: no. 20.
1973
Champa, Kermit S. Studies in Early Impressionism. New Haven and London, 1973: 43, 44-49, 83, repro.
1973
Rewald, John. The History of Impressionism. New York, 1973:1965, repro. 166.
1973
White, Barbara Ehrlich. "The Bathers of 1887 and Renoir's Anti-Impressionism," Art Bulletin 55, no. 1 (March 1973): 111
1974
Fouchet, Max-Pol. Les Nus de Renoir. Paris and Lausanne, 1974:67, repro. 66.
1975
European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 294, repro.
1976
Bellony-Rewald, Alice. The Lost World of the Impressionists. Boston, 1976: 44.
1980
Thomas, David. Renoir. London, 1980:6
1984
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 469, no. 684, color repro.
1985
Arts Council of Great Britain. Renoir. Exh. cat., Hayward Gallery , London, Galleries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1985-1986:180, repro.
1985
European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 339, repro.
1985
Rouart, Denis. Renoir. Rev. ed., New York, 1985: 12, repro. 13.
1991
Kopper, Philip. America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation. New York, 1991: 8, color repro.
1993
Bajou, Valérie. Frédéric Bazille 1841-1870. Aix-en-Provence, 1993:101-102, repro. 103
1996
Roos, Jane Mayo. Early Impressionism and the French State (1866-1874). Cambridge, 1996: 84, fig. 63.
1996
Sagner-Düchting, Karin. Renoir: Paris and the Belle Epoque. Munich, 1996:22, repro. 23.
1997
Druick, Douglas W. Renoir, Chicago, 1997, p. 19, no. 7, repro.
1997
Kelder, Diane. The Great Book of French Impressionism, 1997, no. 214, repro.
1998
Pitman, Dianne W. Bazille: Purity, Pose, and Painting in the 1860s. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998: 58-60, repro. no. 29.
2004
Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 378-379, no. 312, color repro.
2007
Dauberville, Guy-Patrice, and Michel Dauberville. Renoir: Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles. 5 vols. Paris, 2007: 1:no. 578, repro.
2022
Galvez, Paul. Courbet’s Landscapes: The Origins of Modern Painting. New Haven, 2022: 134, 135-137, color fig. 58, 141.

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