Pierre-Auguste Renoir · 1881 · Chatou
The two sisters
on the terrace
Two models that are not sisters, a basket transformed into a pallet and an almost unreal Seine landscape: Renoir constructs an image of spring whose spontaneity is skillfully prepared.
Oil on canvas, 100.4 × 80.9 cm · Art Institute of Chicago.
Immediate reading
A portrait that pretends to be a moment
At first glance, The two sisters looks like a surprise family scene on a terrace. The tall young woman sits facing the painter. The child stands in front of her, as if she had just entered the frame. Flowered hats, rosy cheeks and the lit Seine give the painting the sweetness of a Sunday. However, nothing is really improvised.
Renoir contrasts two ways of painting. The figures are solid, close and almost life-size. Behind them, Chatou becomes a decor of blue, green and white touches. The boats are recognizable without being described precisely. The railing separates these two regimes: in front, human presence; behind, a mobile vision where the water and foliage seem to dissolve in the light.
The basket occupies a strategic place in the foreground. The red, yellow, blue and white balls are not only used to evoke a feminine work. The Art Institute compares them to a palette: they announce, in the form of objects, the colors that Renoir then distributes in clothing, flowers and landscape. The painting thus explains its own construction while retaining the appearance of a familiar scene.
Identities
They are not sisters
The title creates a relationship that the documentation does not confirm. This ambiguity is at the heart of the narrative power of the painting.
Jeanne Darlaud
The scientific catalog identifies the model as Eugénie Marie Darlaud, known as Jeanne Darlaud, aged around eighteen. Future actress, she plays the role of a canoeist, modern figure associated with the leisure activities of the Seine. His blue clothing and red hat therefore do not necessarily document a private outing: they construct a social character.
Identity unknown
No document gives his name or his relationship with Jeanne. His physical proximity is enough to suggest siblings, but the eyes do not meet. Renoir lets the viewer complete the story. It is precisely this absence of proof that transforms two models into a universal image of childhood and youth.
A reserved presence
Jeanne looks beyond the child and slightly out of our space. The little girl confronts the viewer more. The gap between these directions avoids the sentimentality of a family portrait.
Blue as architecture
The jacket forms the large stable mass of the composition. Its cobalt and ultramarine blues respond to the Seine while keeping the figure in the foreground.
A pallet basket
The balls condense the pigments of the painting. They seem ordinary, but serve as a reading key for reds, yellows, blues and whites repeated everywhere else.
Place of creation
The terrace of Maison Fournaise
Renoir worked in Chatou in the spring of 1881, in the Maison Fournaise sector. The restaurant, hotel and boat workshops then attracted boaters, artists and walkers from Paris. The railway made this suburb accessible: you can leave the city, have lunch by the water and return in the evening. This new geography of leisure became one of the great impressionist subjects.
In a letter addressed to Théodore Duret on April 18, 1881, Renoir explained that he struggled with "trees in flower, with women and children". The formula corresponds exactly to the difficulties visible in The two sisters : maintain the strength of the models while allowing spring vegetation to breathe. The table is therefore not a quick notation carried out in a single session, but a demanding work carried out with models available on site.
The elevated view places the Seine behind the railing. Sails, boats and houses do not describe a documentary panorama; they condense Chatou's experience. Renoir painted the same year The Seine at Chatou, autonomous landscape which allows you to measure your taste for blue waters, clear banks and simplified shapes. In The two sistersthis river world becomes a mental scene: it situates the action and at the same time suggests freedom.
Beneath the surface
Spontaneity is the result of many choices
X-rays, transmitted light and pigment analyzes conducted in Chicago reveal several changes invisible to the naked eye.
A prepared canvas
Renoir uses a fine-weave commercial canvas, covered with a smooth white preparation. This luminous base supports the freshness of blues, pinks and greens.
Preliminary contours
No continuous underlying drawing is clearly visible, but the transmitted light shows lines laid early around some large shapes.
Face taken back
Jeanne's head, hat and features have been moved. An ancient eye remains perceptible beneath the surface, proof of a careful search for the final expression.
A tight composition
The young woman's right arm was brought closer to the body. Two small figures from the upper left landscape were also covered to calm the background.
Titles and provenance
From Chatou's terrace in Chicago
The painting changes title depending on the merchant, exhibitions and catalogs. This story explains why the two names remain inseparable today.
Woman on a terrace on the banks of the Seine
Paul Durand-Ruel bought the work from Renoir on July 7 for 1,500 francs. His stock book uses this first descriptive title.
The two sisters
Durand-Ruel presents the painting under this title at the seventh impressionist exhibition. The family bond is invented, but it makes the image immediately memorable.
Woman on a terrace (Chatou)
A Renoir retrospective organized by Durand-Ruel adopts a third name which this time specifies the place.
Annie Swan Coburn
After several decades in the Durand-Ruel family, the work was acquired by Chicago collector Annie Swan Coburn.
Art Institute of Chicago
The Coburn legacy brings the painting into the museum. It has since belonged to the Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection.
Oil reproduction
What a faithful copy must preserve
Reproduce The two sisters not about getting a uniform blue and a few colorful flowers. The main difficulty lies in the contrast between the constructed figures and the more mobile landscape. The jacket must keep its variations of cobalt, ultramarine and white; faces must remain supple, without hard contours; the Seine must be readable without becoming meticulous.
The original vertical format gives the models a strong presence. Maintaining its proportions avoids crushing the hats or cutting the basket, two areas essential for balance. A medium format is suitable for an entrance or bedroom; a large canvas allows you to better feel the almost real scale of the figures and the variety of the keys.
In an interior, blues interact well with off-white, sand, sage green or warm gray walls. The reds and yellows are already enough to liven things up: a simple frame, natural wood or patinated gold, lets the palette breathe. Place the canvas at eye level and avoid lighting that is too cold, which would cause the skin tones to lose their warmth.
| Location | Recommended format | Color agreement | Point to preserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lounge | Medium or large | Sand, sage, light wood | Presence of figures and depth of the Seine |
| Entrance | Medium vertical | Off-white, patinated brass | Readability of faces at short distances |
| Bedroom | Medium | Powder pink, warm gray | Softness of skin tones and flowers |
| Office | Small or medium | Gray blue, walnut | Balance between detail and visual calm |
Renoir selection
Six works to prolong the look
Portraits, young models and figures in the landscape allow us to compare Renoir's solutions around presence, clothing and light.
The two sisters
The Chatou terrace, the blue jacket and the basket of balls combined in the 1881 composition.
Discover →
Portrait of two little girls
A real pair of young models where the proximity of faces replaces the landscape.
Discover →
Two women in a landscape
Another way to inscribe female presences in luminous vegetation.
Discover →
Young woman in a flowered hat
The hat becomes an architecture of flowers and a chromatic focus around the face.
Discover →
Young girl reading
A concentrated scene where the silent gesture and the light are enough to tell the story of the model.
Discover →
The children of Martial Caillebotte
A group of children treated with the softness of skin tones and light fabrics.
Discover →Associated collections
Choose by artist, movement or subject
References
Check and deepen
Notice of work
Date, dimensions, exhibition and general reading of the painting in the Chicago collection.
Art Institute of Chicago →Renoir scientific catalog
Models, historical titles, provenance, correspondence and detailed technical analyses.
Online catalog →Frequently asked questions
The Two Sisters of Renoir in eight responses
Who are the two models in the table?
The tall young woman is Eugénie Marie Darlaud, known as Jeanne Darlaud, future actress. The identity of the little girl is not known.
Were the models really sisters?
No. The title The two sisters was used by Paul Durand-Ruel for the Impressionist Exhibition of 1882, but no family connection is documented.
Where did Renoir paint The Two Sisters?
In Chatou, in the spring of 1881, in the area of Maison Fournaise and its terrace overlooking the Seine.
Why does the painting also have the title On the Terrace?
The work circulated under several titles: Woman on a terrace on the banks of the Seine in 1881, The two sisters in 1882 and Woman on a terrace (Chatou) in 1883. The museum today brings together the two main names.
What are the dimensions of the table?
The oil on canvas measures 100.4 × 80.9 cm. It is signed "Renoir. 81." at the bottom right.
Where can you see the original?
The painting is kept at the Art Institute of Chicago, in the Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection, under number 1933.455.
What did the scientific reviews reveal?
They show in particular modifications of Jeanne's head, hat, face and arm, as well as two small figures of the landscape finally covered.
How to choose a reproduction of the Two Sisters?
Choose a hand-painted oil reproduction, faithful to the vertical proportions, variations of blue, the softness of the skin tones and the freer landscape of the background.
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