“Gabrielle and Jean”
Today, one of my mother’s favorite paintings. As a child, I always thought that the woman in this piece looked just like my mother, hair and all.
“Gabrielle and Jean” is a lovely oil on canvas painting by the French artist, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, from 1895 to 1896. Renoir painted this intimate image of his home life a few years after his marriage to Aline Victorine Charigot in 1890.
Gabrielle Renard was the first cousin of Aline. After Aline became pregnant with Renoir’s second child, the first being born in 1881 before their marriage, she had Gabrielle move in with them to work as a nanny for their second son, Jean. As such, she was often used as a model for Renoir’s paintings of his domestic life. Gabrielle stayed on after the birth of Renoir’s third child, Claude. Gabrielle is featured prominently in “The Artist’s Family”, “Gabrielle with Rose”, “Lying down (Gabrielle)”, “Nude Woman Reclining”, “Young Girl with Flowers”, “Gabrielle Renard”, “The Child with the Apple”, and several more.
In this painting, Jean is seated on Gabrielle’s lap, and the two are playing with animal figurines. Looking closely, you can just barely make out the shape of a cow figure in Gabrielle’s hand. The toy Jean is playing with is too difficult to discern. Gabrielle’s dark hair, olive skin, and dark blue shirt contrast gently with Jean’s pale skin, bright red cheeks, light hair, and white dressing gown. Gabrielle’s hair falls gently in front of her face.
Overall, this is a very soft painting with blended brushstrokes. Renoir’s style became more fluid after the onset of rheumatism arthritis in around 1892/1894. The background of the painting and table in the foreground are muted and painted with broad brushstrokes, drawing the viewer’s attention to the people in the painting.
There is another painting of the same name with the sitters sitting in the same position. This painting is much sharper, with the farm animals and figurines more easily recognizable. In this other painting from 1896, Gabrielle holds a rooster while Jean holds a human figurine. Sheep are set on the table, completing the collection. The table and background are the exact same as this painting here. The 1896 version is in a private collection.
Gabrielle formed a very strong bond with Jean which lasted for the entirety of their lives. Some credit her with his initial interest in movies, which is significant as he grew up to be a respected filmmaker. Gabrielle remained with the Renoir household until 1921 when their three children were fully grown. When Renoir began to suffer from arthritis, Gabrielle helped put paint brushes into his hands so he could continue to work. When she did get married and had a son, she named him Jean, after Renoir’s son.
“Gabrielle and Jean” is currently in the collections of the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, France.
For more on Pierre-Auguste Renoir, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
