Richard Wagner c. 1900

Curator: This is Pierre-Auguste Renoir's portrait of Richard Wagner, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's startling, almost ghostly. The heavy strokes create a somber, imposing presence. Curator: The limited tonal range and broad, unmodulated marks certainly contribute to that. Notice how Renoir uses dense blacks to define the figure against the stark background, almost dissolving form. Editor: Wagner, the man himself, was a figure of immense cultural weight. His operas… the symbolism of the Ring Cycle… It all feels echoed in the starkness here, a godlike figure rendered in charcoal. Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe we are seeing Renoir's fascination with texture and line; the portrait becomes a study in the expressive possibilities of mark-making. Editor: Still, Renoir, a master of light and color, choosing such a heavy medium to depict such a controversial figure...it hints at the complexity of Wagner's legacy. Curator: Indeed. A potent piece, no matter how you read its surfaces. Editor: A striking intersection of artist and subject, rendered with a deliberate unease.