Renoir, Bather with Long Hair

As he grew older, Renoir developed a deepening interest in classical art, a somewhat ironic turn given that Impressionism itself had emerged as a rebellion against classical academic painting. He came to favor the female nude, the classic subject among classic subjects, and this painting is one such example.

It shows a blonde woman bathing; at this stage of his career, Renoir preferred to paint young women in their early twenties rather than mature figures. What he was after in these paintings was, above all, a sense of innocence.