Gabrielle in an Open Blouse - by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

In this painting Gabrielle is not represented as a strongly individualized personality: what Renoir has painted can stand for everything sweet and artless in maidenhood which is not yet quite conscious of its womanliness. The picture seems inevitable and right; there is nothing labored, nothing forced. The lively brushing of pearly grays and satiny whites gives the blouse the effect of a translucent cocoon, from which emerges the beautiful pink torso. The climax of color is in the face, broadly modeled and set off by the charming simplicity of the hairdress, the dark flow of which is contrasted with the dainty blossom.

In the background there is nothing to distract from this delightful vision; instead, there is a field of turquoise blues, wonderfully varied in hue and texture. In a picture like this, we see a great artist in a relaxed mood, his inspiration pure, spontaneous, and free from any suggestion of artifice.