Artwork
Man on a Staircase
Man on a Staircase is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Overview
Man on a Staircase, an 1888 oil painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, features a solitary figure on a staircase, conveying a sense of formal elegance through its composition and subject matter.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, a dark-haired man in a black suit and white shirt, holds a white handkerchief. His attire and the staircase imply a grand, possibly domestic, setting, inviting interpretation of his pause and gesture.
Technique & Style
Characteristic of Impressionist oil painting, the work employs techniques such as chiaroscuro for depth, impasto for textured brushstrokes, and glazing to achieve luminous color effects.
History & Provenance
Created in 1888, the painting is part of the collection at the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born on 25 February 1841 in Limoges, the son of a tailor and a seamstress.
Autorretrato de cuerpo entero (María Roësset Mosquera)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Young Woman in Black
Retrato de homem com cartola: o poeta Hanvin, o homem do fígaro
Self-portrait.
Portrait Study of a Man
Edward Guthrie Kennedy
George W. Vanderbilt
Portrait of George A. Lucas
Gitanilla
Portrait of Isabel Llorach
Woman on a Staircase