Child with a bird 1882

Editor: So, we're looking at Renoir's "Child with a Bird" from 1882, an oil painting. It feels very…dreamlike. The colors are soft, and the little girl almost blends into the background. What do you make of it? Curator: Dreamlike is the perfect word. It's Renoir capturing a fleeting moment, isn’t it? I think of him almost as a musical composer – each brushstroke is a note, and together they make a shimmering melody of light and colour. It's as though the little girl and the bird are performing in a stage. Editor: I hadn't thought about the theatrical aspect! She's definitely dressed up. Is there a reason he painted her in that outfit? Curator: That’s a great question. Renoir was fascinated by the exotic, the theatrical. Perhaps he saw in this costume an escape from the ordinary, an invitation to another world, a childhood fantasy if you will. It’s all shimmering surfaces and subtle suggestions. Look closely at the light. Do you see how it creates volume? It dances across the canvas, almost abstracting reality itself. Editor: I do see that! And her gaze, it feels so direct, but gentle. I get a sense that she is comfortable with him. Curator: Exactly! It’s the confidence and freedom that are so touching, isn’t it? Almost as if, for that brief moment, paint and pigment gave her wings, too. I believe Renoir invites us to relive the joy of childhood. Editor: I never looked at it that way. This makes me see the piece in a totally different light, no pun intended. Thank you for opening up this new perspective. Curator: My pleasure, art should take us to unknown realms. Let it sing!