The above fresco was an inspiration for Renoir for the Grand Bathers.
Raphael Sanzio, The Triumph of Galatea, Pompei Fresco was an early 16th-century romantic inspiration
for Pierre-Auguste Renoir Grand Bathers also in the water and land.
Pastel Study for the Grand Bathers without the framing glass. 21.7 h. x 28” w. Photo by Greg Ortega
Renoir studied the above sculpture, The Bathing Nymphs, bas-relief, executed after models designed by
Francois Girardon (1628-1715) 1668-70 (lead, formerly gilded), to create an inspired post-classical-like
tight futuristic, detailed sculptural pastel study of the two front models in his own new interpretation of
infinite light, envisioning a new style in 1883. Water below the bas-relief influenced The Grand Bathers,
where the figures are heavenly, and the water below is earthly.
Note the grain in the paper below. Artists of the time were working on cotton, rag, or woven paper.
Above is pastel and charcoal on faded blue paper. Stamped with the Degas vente stamp (Lugt 658) at the
lower right.
476 x 393 mm. (18 ¾ x 15 ½ in.) 1879
Above is smooth paper used by another artist of the same period as the Bathers Giovanni
Boldini, “Girl In A Black Hat,” 1890, pastel on paper, 23 1/4 x 13 in (59 x 33 cm), Private
Collection.
Above, note the screen grain in the paper. The infrared photo above is by Gerritsen, in Amsterdam,
front figure, face, and right hand, Pastel Study for The Grand Bathers.
Above, note the screen grain in the paper. The infrared photo above is by Gerritsen, in Amsterdam,
front figure, left hand, Pastel Study for The Grand Bathers.
The creases in the above photo are characteristic of the paper Renoir used in all his studies for the Great<
Bathers—photograph by Greg Kitchen, New York. The photograph is of the Pastel Study under glass
framing as discovered in 1993. Background figure left arm and foreground figure right foot. White spots
are light reflections on the glass.
The creases in the above photo are characteristic of the paper Renoir used in all his studies for the Great
Bathers. Photograph by Greg Kitchen, New York, Pastel Study under glass framing as discovered in 1993.
Background figure right arm and foreground figure right arm and right knee. Note the pastel dust striping
on the inside of the glass from the vibration of the antique cardboard backing while in thirty years of
storage.
Above is cropped detail of Renoir's sanguine drawing study under glass for The Grand Bathers, with
identical creases and paper grain to the paper of The Pastel Study for the Grand Bathers. Photo by Fogg
Museum, taken with a polarizing filter to reduce any reflection of the starch coating that can be seen in
the Fogg Drawing, Boston, MA.
The above picture of the framed figurative Pastel Study for the Grand Bathers emphasizes the condition
of the inside of the framing glass when the Pastel Study was purchased at the antique show on 18th Street,
New York City, in 1993. The cardboard backing of the framing vibrated against the paper of the pastel,
causing pastel dust striping by making the pastel painting touch the glass in storage over the period from
1965 to 1993. This is common when pastel has not been correctly stored. We kept the Pastel Study in the
frame with the glass as purchased until the McCrone Associates did the pigment testing in September
1999. Photographed with racking light, by Greg Kitchen, New York, 1999. The layer of pastel is so thin
that Renoir added blue watercolor to the skin.
The above photo is the reverse side of the Grand Bathers Pastel Study paper, a felt, not a screen grain,
as the front side. Also visible here is the residue of antique cardboard backing, which remained stuck after
the cardboard was scraped off when the Grand Bathers Pastel Study was removed from the frame to be
restored in the 1930s.
The above photo of paper fibers of the pastel study under a microscope is consistent with all the paper of
Renoir’s studies on guilattoge paper.
The Brass Title Plaque from the Pastel Study frame, tested by EMSL Analytical, Inc in 11/2010 and
dated to be around World War II . Plaque says in French A Pastel Study For Bathers By Pierre-Auguste
Renoir 1841 -1919.
Two examples below of Renoir using optics reproduced from Barbara White’s book, Renoir His Life, Art
and Letters. The compositions of the foreground are so much alike, as they were traced from the same
painting. The dimensions of the works are different, as one is much smaller, but the proportions of the
figures to the canvas are the same.
Le Moulin de la Galette, d. 1876. 51 1/2 “ x 69”.
Musee d’Orsay,
Galerie du Jeu de Paume, Paris.
Bequest of Gustave Caillebotte
Le Moulin de la Galette, d. 1876. 30 ⅞” x 44 ⅝”
Collection Mrs. John Hay Whitney, New York
Pierre-Auguste Renoir's work on the Grand Bathers in order of creation, see page 31, Renoir and Optics
Above is one of the letters of support from Monsieur Francois Daulte, the late Renoir expert, stating
“Pastel”
The letter above is from Monsieur Guy-Patrice Dauberville, the present Pastel Expert, who stated he
wanted to see the pastel study.
The above label was on the back of the framing, is dated as from the 1930’s by by the print style of the
type used, and the telephone number.
Above is Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s signature on the front lower left of the Pastel Study.
Above is Aline Charigot in the color Pastel Study and a sepia photographic portrait of her.
Aline was the love of Renoir's life and was the perfect model for his painting. Posing long
hours for him. Renoir thought Aline was the perfect model for his paintings.
Black and white drawing of the first model Renoir drew over the Pastel Study on the right.
Please note: the torso and head line up precisely in the middle picture.
Aline Charigot, the wife of Renoir, is in all of the above images cropped from known works of art
by Renoir. All facial features are identical, but her age and hairstyle have changed.
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