Figure 1.--'Madame Charpentier and her children' is a Renoir favorite. At the sanme time he painted Madame Charpentier and the two children, he also did this psainting of the Paul by himself. . |
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In many of Renoir's paintings we know the actual name of the subjects as they were done as commissions or for family friends. A good example is "The children of Martial Caillibotte (1895), the niece and nephew of a close friend. I do not know, however, who the subject of the famous "Girl with a watering can". According to a knowledgable source, this painting was made in Monet's garden and the subject is Monet's young son. The garden is of course the same garden that Monet so enjoyed painting. The dress is similar to the Fauntleroy dress and
it buttons down the front, often a style for boys' dresses. It could be that Renoir used his sons to pose as little girls. Of course in the late 19th Century there was often little difference between how little boys and girls were dressed--especially in France. This varied greatly, however, from family to family. The subjects of some of his paintings may also have been misidentifed by art sealers and critics that assume a child in a dress and with long hair is a girl.
A good example is "The children of Martial Caillibotte (1895), the niece and nephew of a close friend. Gustave Caillibotte was one of the Impressionist painters contempoary with Monet and Renoir. While associated with the impressionists, he retained a more realistic style than most of the other imressionists. Most of the infividuals in his paintings were adults nd he left some notable street scenes of Paris in the 1870s and 80s. Caillibotte was also had an interest in photography and its artistic potential. There is a beautiful Renoir portrait entitled the 'Children of Martial Caillebotte'. Caillibotte work as an artist declined at an early age, but becuse of an inheriance, he became an importsnt patron and collector.
We do not know, however, who the subject of the famous "Girl with a watering can". According to a knowledgable source, this painting was made in Monet's garden and the subject is Monet's young son. The garden is of course the same garden that Monet so enjoyed painting. The dress is similar to the Fauntleroy dress and it buttons down the front, often a style for boys' dresses. It could be that Renoir used his sons to pose as little girls. Of course in the late 19th Century there was often little difference between how little boys and girls were dressed--especially in France. This varied greatly, however, from family to family. The subjects of some of his paintings may also have been misidentifed by art sealers and critics that assume a child in a dress and with long hair is a girl.
This famours painting by Renoir is usually called 'Madame Charpentier and her children' or more commonly 'daughters'. The children are in fact a boy and a girl. The younger child sitting next to his mother is Paul Charpentier aged 3 years. His godfather was Emile Zola. The child sitting at the left petting the dog is Georgette, aged 6 years. At the sanme time he painted Madame Charpentier and the two children, he also did this psainting of the Paul by himself. He also painted Georgette alone, but in a more impresioistic style.i They are in the the small or Japanese drawing room of their substantial mansion.
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