Children on the Beach, Berneval

Children on the Beach, Berneval by Pierre Auguste Renoir French, 1841-1919, is a delicate and immediate example of the artist's foray into graphic arts during the transitional period of the late 19th century. Classified as a print, the work was executed using a combination of etching and drypoint on cream wove paper between 1887 and 1897. This specific technique allowed Renoir to exploit both the precision of etched lines and the soft, burred texture characteristic of drypoint, resulting in a lively, sketchesque quality appropriate for the Impressionist movement from which the artist emerged.

The work captures a quintessentially French coastal scene in Berneval, a village near Dieppe on the Normandy coast. Renoir’s later career saw him grappling with the spontaneous aspects of Impressionism while seeking greater classical structure in his compositions, yet this piece retains an intimate spontaneity suitable for depicting children at leisure. The subject matter aligns with Renoir’s enduring interest in domestic and leisure subjects, particularly the depiction of children, a motif he frequently revisited. The relaxed posture of the figures against the coastal environment suggests a moment of tranquil observation, reflecting the societal focus on leisure and coastal retreats in France during this period.

While widely celebrated for his oil paintings, the versatility displayed in this print demonstrates the breadth of the 1841-1919's technical skill across different mediums. This exceptional example of fin-de-siècle prints is currently held in the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a significant record of Renoir’s continued mastery in capturing the elegance of everyday life.