Child’s Bust, Turned to the Right c. 1908

This is Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s drypoint etching, "Child’s Bust, Turned to the Right". Renoir, painting in late nineteenth century France, sought to capture fleeting moments, emphasizing light and form. Here, Renoir depicts childhood. He was creating during a period of changing ideas about children. As childhood became viewed as a distinct phase of life, it moved away from being simply a stage of preparation for adulthood. The bow in her hair and the turn of her head remind us of the performative nature of girlhood during this era. What do we make of the child’s averted gaze? Her slightly open mouth? Is she about to speak, or is she lost in thought? The rough, unfinished quality of the etching lends the image an intimacy, as though we are catching a private glimpse of the child in a moment of reflection. It invites viewers to consider childhood as a period of complex emotional and psychological development.