Marie Louise Durand Ruel 1898

Pierre-Auguste Renoir captured young Marie Louise Durand Ruel with oil on canvas. The child’s gaze drifts off, all innocence and curiosity. White, the color of purity and new beginnings, envelops her. White, a recurring motif in art history, appears in countless baptismal robes and portraits of innocence. Think of the medieval ‘Madonna of Humility’ swathed in white, or ancient Roman togas, symbols of civic virtue. This color transcends mere aesthetics, burrowing into our collective unconscious. Consider the recurring symbol of the child. From Renaissance cherubs to images of the infant Christ, childhood embodies a potent blend of vulnerability and potential. The child invites us to tap into our primal instincts, our own forgotten innocence and yearning for protection. The child’s pure gaze confronts us, demanding empathy and sparking a deep, subconscious connection. The cyclical nature of symbols is relentless. White will continue to signify not only innocence, but also mourning, demonstrating how images shift and evolve, yet eternally resurface.