The print Claude Renoir, Turned to the Left by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, created in 1904, is an intimate portrait rendered using the lithograph technique. This work is a significant late-career example of the celebrated French master’s devotion to portraiture and graphic arts, documenting the life of his youngest son, Claude (known affectionately as "Coco").
The piece captures the subject in profile, emphasizing the innocent, delicate contours of the young boy’s features. Unlike the vibrant, broken color that defined Renoir’s earlier Impressionist canvases, the lithograph medium allowed the artist to focus intently on line, volume, and subtle gradations of shadow. Even in the 1900s, as Renoir managed severe arthritis, the creation of prints like this one allowed him to maintain a prodigious artistic output, concentrating on subjects within his domestic life.
Produced in France, this work reflects the enduring connection Renoir maintained with classical portrait conventions, adapting them seamlessly to the evolving possibilities of modern prints. While primarily known globally for his oil paintings, Renoir made valuable contributions to the field of fine art printmaking, securing new audiences for his intimate subjects. This specific impression is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. As this important piece is housed within a major institution, high-resolution images and prints of the work are often made available through public domain initiatives for scholarly research and study.