Bust of a Young Girl (Mlle. Dieterle)

The Bust of a Young Girl (Mlle. Dieterle) is a delicate lithograph created by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1899. This piece originated in France during the height of the fin-de-siècle printmaking revival, where artists sought new ways to disseminate their work beyond traditional oil painting. As a leading figure of Impressionism, Renoir maintained a strong focus on portraiture throughout his career, often capturing young women with tenderness and immediacy, a consistent theme even as he transitioned into his later stylistic phase.

The work depicts a half-length portrait of Mlle. Dieterle, captured in an intimate moment. Renoir utilized the inherent flexibility of the lithographic process, drawing directly onto the stone with grease crayon, to achieve soft, nuanced tonal variations that echo the dappled light effects often found in his painted canvases. This medium allowed the artist to focus on the essential form and emotional presence of the sitter, minimizing distracting background detail to emphasize her expression. The subject is rendered with characteristic Impressionist quickness, emphasizing youth and vitality through subtle shading and delicate contours.

Although executed late in the 19th century, this specific print retains the soft, humanistic aesthetic that defined much of Renoir’s earlier career. The subtle handling of texture and the focused intensity of the subject demonstrate the mature artist's continued interest in capturing human grace through graphic means. This work is a masterful example within the artist's expansive portfolio of prints. This important example of French graphic art from 1899 is currently housed in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.