# Two Young Girls at the Piano

**Pierre-Auguste Renoir** (French, 1841–1919)  
1892  
Oil on canvas  
44 × 34 in. (111.8 × 86.4 cm) Framed: 57 3/8 × 47 in. (145.7 × 119.4 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975.1.201. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459112).

## About this work

Two girls lean together at an upright piano, one seated at the keyboard and the other standing at her side, their heads close in concentration over the music. In 1892 the French state commissioned a painting from Renoir for the Musée du Luxembourg, and he painted this composition several times; the version chosen is now in the Musée d’Orsay, and the Met’s canvas is one of the others. The soft, blended brushwork and warm palette show his late, sumptuous manner applied to an intimate domestic scene.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted this in 1892, aged 51. It is now at The Met in New York.

### 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: Paintings
- The artist was 51
- Real size: about 44 × 34 in (112 × 86 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 24 × 36 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Impressionism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/impressionism)
- Subjects: Girls, Music, Pianos
- 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/1263.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1263/1920.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/two-young-girls-at-the-piano-met-459112).