Artwork
Child with a Bird (Mademoiselle Fleury in Algerian Costume)
Child with a Bird (Mademoiselle Fleury in Algerian Costume) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the Clark Art Institute.
About this work
Overview
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s 1892 oil on canvas titled *Child with a Bird (Mademoiselle Fleury in Algerian Costume)* is part of the collection at the Clark Art Institute. The work presents a young girl in an exoticized outfit, holding a small bird, set against a tiled floor and a curtained backdrop adorned with red blossoms.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a child dressed in a vibrant costume that references Algerian dress, complete with a yellow headscarf, white blouse trimmed in gold, a red sash, and blue shoes with a golden buckle. By pairing the innocent pose with a captured bird, Renoir evokes a fleeting moment of curiosity and playfulness within an imagined exotic interior.
Technique & Style
Renoir employs his characteristic loose brushwork and a bright palette to animate the scene. Contrasting hues—yellow, red, blue, and gold—are layered to create a sense of depth and light on the tiled floor and the sheer curtain. The handling of the bird’s feathers and the fabric’s texture demonstrates his late‑period focus on surface detail and atmospheric color.
History & Provenance
Executed in the early 1890s, the painting entered the collection of the Clark Art Institute, where it remains on display. Its provenance traces back to the artist’s studio shortly after completion, reflecting Renoir’s continued interest in portraiture and his fascination with Orientalist motifs during this period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on 25 February 1841 in Limoges, the son of a tailor and a seamstress.
