Images(2)

Trees by the Edge of a River

Artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841 - 1919)

CultureFrench

Dateca. 1875-1880

MediumOil on board

DimensionsOverall: 5 1/2 x 7 3/8 in. (14 x 18.7 cm)
Overall, Frame: 12 3/8 x 14 1/2 in. (31.4 x 36.8 cm)

InscribedSigned lower right: A.R.

Credit LineMuseum purchase, Public Subscription

Object number67.96.1

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 217

DescriptionThis is a small oil on board painting. This landscape picture can be divided into thirds, the upper third being the sky, middle third the trees and the foreground third, the water. The water's prevailing hue is blue, but there are unmixed moments of red, yellow and purple, floating about on the surface. The trees in the mid-ground follow suite: they are mostly green with yellow, red and blue dots. The sky is painted in wide sweeping brushstrokes; there is a hint of white for the clouds and pink near the edges. The mid-ground has tiny tight details for brushwork and the water in the foreground has medium sided brushstrokes. The painting has been worked in the vignette style and does not go to the edges of the board.

Label TextPierre Auguste Renoir French (1841-1919) Trees by the Edge of a River, ca. 1875-1880 Oil on board Museum Purchase, Public Subscription 67.96.1 Renoir's Trees by the Edge of a River can be traced to the collection of the great 19th-century Paris art dealer Ambroise Vollard, who acquired it directly from the artist. The Museum purchased the painting in 1967 with funds raised from an ambitious public subscription drive. Inaugurated by Norfolk mayor Roy B. Martin, Jr., the year-long campaign involved nearly 20,000 local contributors - from civic leaders to school children - and resulted in the acquisition of the Museum's first Impressionist picture. Though the Chrysler has grown considerably since then, that growth could not have been achieved without the continued commitment and support of the citizens of Hampton Roads - qualities beautifully symbolized in this tiny gem of a landscape. ProvenanceFrom Renoir to dealer Ambrose Vollard, Paris. Collection of Arthur Tooth, London. Collection of Mrs. Edward Patterson, Long Island, NY. Purchased from Auslew Gallery, Norfolk, on consignment from Findlay Gallery, New York City, by Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1967.Published ReferencesRichard Bayer, "Little Renoir deserves a bigger place," THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT AND THE LEDGER STAR, Sunday edition, Compass section, March 12, 1989, Vol. 15, no. 21. Bruce Ebert, "Decades ago, a community pulled together for the "little Renoir"," Virginian-Pilot, Compass section, June 21, 2015.