Diana
1867
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 199.5 x 129.5 cm (78 9/16 x 51 in.) framed: 222.6 x 159.1 cm (87 5/8 x 62 5/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Chester Dale Collection
Accession Number
1963.10.205
Art Historical Context
Auguste Renoir's *Diana* (1867) is a monumental early work by the future Impressionist master, painted when he was just 26 years old. This large-scale oil on canvas (nearly 200 x 130 cm) depicts the Roman goddess of the hunt in a classical pose, embodying the mythological ideal of beauty and strength. Submitted to the Paris Salon that year, it reflects Renoir's training at the École desaux-Arts and his admiration for Renaissance and Baroque masters like Rubens, whose influence is evident in the figure's voluptuous form and luminous skin tones. Created on the cusp of Impressionism's emergence,...
About the Artist
Auguste Renoir · 1841–1919
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was a founding figure of Impressionism whose luminous depictions of Parisian leisure, sensuous female forms, and sun-dappled landscapes made him one of the most beloved painters in Western art history. Born in Limoges to a working-class family, Renoir began as a porcelain painter before pursuing fine arts, and this early craft experience gave him facility with the...