Head of a Young Woman Wearing a Blue Scarf (Madame Henriot) 1876

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, a leading painter of the French Impressionist movement, created this oil on canvas portrait, Head of a Young Woman Wearing a Blue Scarf, with Madame Henriot as the model. This work gives us an insight into the cultural context of late 19th-century Paris, the era that saw the birth of consumer culture and changing gender roles. Impressionist painters like Renoir sought to capture fleeting moments of everyday life, and portraits like this reflected the growing importance of the individual. Madame Henriot's soft features and fashionable attire reflect a society that placed value on beauty and leisure. Renoir's loose brushwork and focus on light create a sense of immediacy. But this aesthetic can be said to be an institutional project, as well. The Impressionists’ break from academic tradition was received with harsh responses from the art establishment. Yet, they found alternative exhibition spaces and cultivated relationships with art critics and collectors who supported their cause. To fully understand this artwork, scholars consult a range of sources. Exhibition catalogs, letters, and contemporary reviews shed light on how the artwork and its aesthetic project fits within the changing social structures of its time.