# Head of a Young Girl

**Pierre-Auguste Renoir** (French, 1841–1919)  
c. 1890  
oil on canvas  
overall: 42.6 x 33.3 cm (16 3/4 x 13 1/8 in.) framed: 67.6 x 58.7 x 6.9 cm (26 5/8 x 23 1/8 x 2 11/16 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948.18.1. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.35083.html).

## About this work

A young woman with glossy brown hair gathered into a bun is seen in profile, her cheeks rosy and her lips slightly parted, one arm resting on a table. Behind her, the background breaks into swirling forms of orange, red and blue-grey, perhaps a patterned hanging, treated as pure colour. Renoir painted many such studies of young models around 1890, valuing them less as portraits than as occasions for warm, luminous flesh tones and soft, caressing brushwork.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted this in about 1890, aged 49. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

This painting shows a young woman's upper body from the torso up. She is seated and facing the right, with her face seen in profile and one arm bent in front of her, seeming to rest on a brown table or surface. She has pale skin, round, rosy cheeks, a small nose, and pink lips that are slightly parted. Her brown hair is styled into a smooth, glossy bun at the nape of her neck. She is wearing a white garment with thin straps over her shoulders. The background features a yellow section on the bottom half, and on the top half is a colorful, abstract pattern with large, soft, swirling forms in shades of orange and red on a blue-gray background with hints of green.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/pierre-auguste-renoir)

French, 1841–1919; born in Limoges; died in Cagnes-sur-Mer

Renoir began as a painter of porcelain in Paris, then studied in Gleyre’s studio, where he met Monet, Sisley and Bazille. In the 1870s he was a central figure of Impressionism, painting Parisians at leisure in dappled light. A journey to Italy in 1881–82 led him towards firmer drawing and more classical compositions. Despite severe rheumatoid arthritis in later life he continued to paint, settling at Cagnes-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean, where he died.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 49
- Real size: about 17 × 13 in (43 × 33 cm). The 12 × 16 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Impressionism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/impressionism)
- Subjects: female, Bust profile
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1493.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1493/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/head-of-a-young-girl-nga-35083).