Claude Renoir, Facing Left (Claude Renoir, Tourné à gauche) from Twelve Original Lithographs by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Douze lithographies originales de Pierre-Auguste Renoir)

Claude Renoir, Facing Left (Claude Renoir, Tourné à gauche) from Twelve Original Lithographs by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Douze lithographies originales de Pierre-Auguste Renoir) is a significant print created by Pierre-Auguste Renoir around c. 1904. This specific work is one of a suite of twelve lithographs, often referred to by its French title, Douze lithographies originales. While the image was drawn and conceived around 1904, the complete portfolio was formally published in 1919.

This intimate work features a portrait study of the artist’s youngest son, Claude, who is depicted facing left in profile. Although Renoir is primarily recognized for his Impressionist paintings, he dedicated substantial energy to printmaking during the later stages of his career, utilizing lithography as a versatile tool to capture the immediacy of his drawn lines. The resulting study showcases the artist's signature gentle draftsmanship, demonstrating a sensitivity and spontaneity perfectly suited to the medium of the stone. This piece reflects Renoir’s enduring focus on domestic subjects and familiar figures, characteristic of his mature period in French art.

The difference between the creation date (c. 1904) and the final publication date (published 1919) highlights the desire to disseminate Renoir's graphic works more broadly, especially following his death. The work itself exemplifies the expressive freedom of post-Impressionist prints. The casual warmth inherent in the study is deeply rooted in the French cultural context of Renoir’s final decades, where the boundary between personal life and artistic subject matter often dissolved. This important example of French printmaking resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. As a historical document of the artist's family life, the original design for this print, created decades ago, is now widely considered public domain, ensuring global access to Renoir’s distinctive lithographic output.