Study of Seated Female Nude, Variant c. 1904 - 1919

This Study of a Seated Female Nude by Renoir is made with lithographic ink on paper. You can see how he's working through something; there’s a second study of the woman’s head floating to the left of the figure, like a correction or a second thought. Renoir is known for his lush and sensual paintings, but here, the dark lithographic ink gives the drawing a mysterious and almost ghostly quality. The washes of ink are applied in layers, building up tone and shadow. Look how the darkest marks define the edge of her back, and how he contrasts this with the lighter, more transparent washes used to model her torso. For me, it's the ambiguity that makes this drawing so compelling, there is an incompleteness that invites you to participate in the act of seeing. It reminds me of work by Degas, with his fluid lines and interest in capturing the fleeting nature of movement and form. These works are not about perfect representation, but about the joy of looking, drawing, and discovering.