‘Femme au buste nu’ is an exquisite example of Renoir’s intimate nudes from the early 1900s. By this time Renoir was celebrated internationally, with his reputation cemented as one of the great artists of his generation.

In ‘Femme au buste nu’ the influence of Classicism upon Renoir’s work is clear. The painting is composed in the bust format, a style of depiction recognisable in Renaissance statuary and portraiture, and one which Renoir repeatedly used to elevate his subjects. In ‘Femme au buste nu’ the woman’s flowing golden locks, flushed cheeks and round form recall the mastery of Titian and Rubens, both of whom Renoir very much admired. In such paintings as Titian’s ‘Venus Anadyomene’ (Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh) or Rubens’ ‘Venus and Adonis’ (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) one can see a likeness between Renoir’s woman and the mythological figure of Venus. During this period Renoir was also working on his bather paintings, a group which closely relates to the present work in its style.

The light feathery brushwork Renoir has applied in ‘Femme au buste nu’ enhances the softness and tactility of the model’s skin and hair. Based in a natural and harmonious warm palette, the light shading to the skin and pinkness to her face, so recognisable in Renoir’s work, brings the figure to life.

A similar painting to the present is now in the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (‘Étude de nu, buste de femme’, c. 1910).