Location📍 Art Institute of Chicago → Gallery 201

Two Sisters (On the Terrace)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir considered the Restaurant Fournaise in Chatou, a village along the Seine River, the perfect spot to enjoy nature and good company away from the urban distractions of Paris. Exhibited at the 1882 Impressionist exhibition, 'Two Sisters (On the Terrace)' is among the last of his paintings set there. Despite the title, Pierre-Auguste Renoir hired unrelated models to create this intimate and perfectly balanced pairing of youth and nature. The older girl, wearing the blue flannel of a female boater’s outfit, sports a luxurious red hat, while her younger companion captivates with an oversize headdress composed of a floral bouquet. The brightly colored skeins of yarn in the basket she gently touches echo her floral headpiece. As was typical for his style, Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted the models' faces with controlled and precise brushwork to create a porcelain-like surface, which contrasts brilliantly with the diaphanous, impressionist backdrop of the river, boats, and blossoming trees beyond the terrace railing.