R"Sur la Plage, a Berneval"

RENOIR, PIERRE AUGUSTE
(1841 - 1919)
Sur la Plage, à Berneval
On the Beach at Berneval
Delteil 5, Stella 5
Etching in Black Ink, c. 1892
Third State, Restrike
Edition Size Unknown
Julie Manet, daughter of Renoir’s great friend and painter Berthe Morisot, and her cousin Paulette Gobillard are the models for this subject on holiday at the beach at Berneval in Normandy in 1892.
Sur la Plage is one of Renoir's earliest prints. In it’s handling of the soft pattern of the shadows and the blended contours it is typical of Renoir's approach to the interpretation of the sensation of light at this date. Renoir was attracted to drypoint as a medium (probably at the suggestion of Mary Cassatt) because the dry working of the copperplate allowed him to create a strong sense of tonality in the line.
RESTRIKE OR REISSUE: This term is generally encountered in descriptions of prints from earlier centuries. The etched plates of some artists remained in existence after their death and were subsequently reprinted. Although not part of the approved edition -- as long as they come from the original plates, they are generally considered to be original prints.