“Julie Manet”
Today, one from Renoir’s Ingres period…
“Julie Manet” or “Julie Manet au chat (Julie Manet with cat)” is a lovely oil on canvas painting by the French Impressionist artist, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, from 1887. In the portrait, Julie holds a calico cat in her lap as she looks contentedly at the viewer. Her face and expression are clearly defined, with smooth lines akin to a marble sculpture. Renoir did four preparatory drawings for this piece before settling on the more front-facing pose.
This painting of the young nine-year old Julie Manet was commissioned by her parents, Impressionist artist, Berthe Morisot and her husband, Eugène Manet, who was the painter, Édouard Manet‘s brother. Both Berthe Morisot and Eugène Manet were very close friends with Renoir during the 1880s.
This marks a later style in Renoir’s career, known as his Ingres period, after the French Neoclassical artist, Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres. Between 1883 and 1890, Renoir’s art shifted from the loose impressionism brush strokes and a lighter color palette to more solid lines and vivid colors. Though this period of his work was not liked by all, including Edgar Degas, it was much loved by Berthe Morisot.
Julie Manet was a favorite model for many artists, including her mother, Berthe Morisot, her uncle, Édouard Manet, and of course, Renoir. This piece was the first time that Renoir painted her portrait. After moving in art circles for most of her youth, she became an artist in her own right. Only a few of her pieces survive to this day.
“Julie Manet” is currently on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.
For more on Pierre-Auguste Renoir, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
Wonderful!
Thank you so much!