Understanding Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Two Sisters”
Grace Shi - November 23, 2022
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Two Sisters, 1881. Oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago. Photo by Kelsey Carroll.
Emerging from a pervasive, patriarchal society, Pierre-Auguste Renoir was an openly misogynistic artist who possessed adamant feelings about women. Additionally, he once explicitly wrote that “I consider women writers, lawyers, and politicians (such as) George Sand, Mme (Juliette) Adam and other bores as monsters and nothing but five-legged calves.”1 Thus, while Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Two Sisters (On the Terrace) exudes a mirage of vibrant colors and an atmosphere of lighthearted content, it truly highlights the predominant theme of feminine inferiority in relation to men.
Renoir’s depiction and characterization of the elder sister follow suit with his chauvinist ideals. First, he employs a triangular, spatial organization composed of the wool balls on the bottom left, the bright scarlet hat upon the elder sister’s head, and the flowers atop the younger sister’s hair to draw immediate attention to the central figure. At first, the attention is directed toward her face, which occupies the center of the painting. Amidst careful analysis, a distinct feature appears to be the translucent, porcelain qualities of her skin that further illuminate the rosiness of her cheeks. Her facial expression is not quite tense, appearing to be void of deep thought; she seems to be merely glancing at a figure/object outside of the frame. It is interesting to note that her overall temperament falls in line with a myriad of Renoir’s paintings, in which Griselda Pollock writes that “the lack of self-consciousness is, of course, purely contrived so that the viewer can enjoy the sight of the young girl.”2 It is critical to note that she is in the central forefront of the painting—thus burgeoning and capturing the viewer’s attention—yet simultaneously, her vacant gaze detracts from this visual centrality. She has the potential to command and produce a compelling effect, but her passive stare away from the viewer, coupled with the emptiness behind her eyes, signifies otherwise. The passivity illustrated through her facial expression echoes the predominant socio-political sentiments regarding women of Third Republic France: the woman is on view to please the viewer.
Moreover, the portrayal of the younger sister further exacerbates these dispositions. The viewer can note the careful depiction of the irises in contrast to the elder sister. While the elder sister’s dark blue eyes are noticeable, the bright cerulean eyes of the younger sister are enunciated. Renoir utilizes black lines to illustrate this: the younger has a clear, apparent outline of her irises, further allowing them to stand out amidst the impressionist style. The juxtaposition between this feature and the rest of the painterly characteristics generates a “doe-like” aura. Her eyes are dramatically opened, and their piercing color and distinction amongst the rest of her face allude to her youthful, doll-like appearance. Simultaneously, her gaze secretes notions of a naive, vacant stare. The pink and red hues of her cheeks are even richer, and encompass a greater portion of her face in comparison to the elder sister’s complexion. Furthermore, the younger daughter dons a dress that has an overall white composition, implying her innocence. Through vivid brushwork, Renoir crafts an additional element of translucency to the dress. While adding colors through the brushwork muddy the white hue, Renoir does so in a manner that supplements texture, fashioning an illustrious, silky effect. The dynamic material alludes to the vibrant liveliness associated with the notion of youth. Altogether, these facial components enhance her naïveté, a characteristic that Renoir celebrated. Compelling enough, he “recorded that he loved women, children, and cats for the same reason, that is their tenacious way of satisfying themselves without regard for the consequences.”3 The ability to think without any indication of consciousness to implication and deeper meaning embodies the concept of naïveté. Her defining doll-like features and peculiarity thus further consolidate Renoir’s personal values.
Furthermore, a crucial, riveting element within the painting is the inclusion of a balcony that occupies half of the space. The existence of the balcony alludes to the symbolic hindrance and isolation of women associated with society. It is critical to note that at this time, as Griselda Pollock indicates, “woman was defined by this other, non-social space of sentiment and duty from which money and power were banished. Men, however, moved freely between the spheres while women were supposed to occupy the domestic space alone.”4 The private space was a banal environment, void of the intellectually stimulating thought that was reserved for men. Moreover, the domestic sphere was viewed as a zone in which man could come home daily to retire and relax from the hard day of work in public. Taken together, there existed an understanding that women did not possess the capacity to hold responsibility and critically think at the standards that men possess in the public sphere. In fact, as Tamar Garb notes, there existed the widespread idea that “women’s mental capacities were necessarily stunted so that they could fulfill their maternal role.”5 Once again, there exists the notion that the lack of intellectual ability directly circled back to the domestic space. Thus, the choice of incorporating a balcony is an amalgamation of societal codes and reinforces Renoir’s adherence to repression of women.
Furthermore, the background encompasses an aura of mystery, which further exudes the theme of a limited, domestic sphere. The scene incorporates a palette of vibrant earth tones, such as the blues and whites utilized to depict both the river and sky. Illustrious hues of greens are attributed to the grasses and trees, while a few orange tones stand out to distinguish the faint houses in the horizon. Similarly, there are a few orange boats, with the people on them composed of mainly blue pigments. The size and composition of the people on the boats are small and indistinguishable, arguably not difficult to miss by the viewer upon first glance. Essentially, while the painting does not completely employ a blurred background, the inclusion of such figures is still a nod to the understanding that there are activities occurring in which the two sisters could not participate in. Altogether, this contributes to an aura of perplexity, tying into the notion of a distant relationship women would possess with the public sphere. Thus, while their configuration on the balcony can be clearly observed, the juxtaposition of the vaporous background further articulate the social outlook that “for bourgeois women going into town mingling with crowds of mixed social composition was not only brightening because it became increasingly unfamiliar, but because it was morally dangerous.”6 19th-century France was extremely effective in physically and mentally containing women within their domestic spaces, as women understood the inherent ramifications that would occur if they wandered. Thus, the emancipation of women from their delegated territory was a great source of anxiety, alluding to the concept that the household itself would additionally be broken.
While Renoir goes to substantial lengths to capture the vivacious and gratifying nature of the two sisters, the amalgamation of these distinct visual elements is a reflection of his own social tensions with women. Garb encompasses Renoir's depiction of women in general: “created for man she is the altar of his art, his refreshment, and consolation.”7 This could be no less true when applied to the painting, for while he possesses inherent disdain upon women, he paints them figuratively in a manner that could have the viewer fooled. Women serve their pleasurable, aesthetic purposes to Renoir, but the same cannot be said in regard to beyond surface-level qualities.
1 Tamar Garb, “Renoir and the Natural Woman,” Oxford Art Journal 8, no. 2 (1985): 3–15, 7, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1360398.
2 Griselda Pollock, “Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity,” in Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and the Histories of Art (London: Routledge, 1998), 50-90, 53.
3 Tamar Garb, “Renoir and the Natural Woman,” 3–15, 6.
4 Pollock, “Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity,” 50-90.
5 Tamar Garb, "8. Berthe Morisot and the Feminizing of Impressionism," in Critical Readings in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: An Anthology, ed. Mary Tompkins Lewis (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2020), 197.
6 Pollock, “Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity,” 50-90.
7 Garb, “Renoir and the Natural Woman,” 3–15.
Bibliography
Garb, Tamar. "8. Berthe Morisot and the Feminizing of Impressionism." In Critical Readings in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: An Anthology, edited by Mary Tompkins Lewis, 191-202. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2020.
Garb, Tamar. “Renoir and the Natural Woman.” Oxford Art Journal 8, no. 2 (1985): 3–15. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1360398.
Pollock, Griselda. “Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity.” Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and the Histories of Art. London: Routledge, 1998, 50-90
