The artwork “Madame Thurneyssan and Her Daughter” is a portrait crafted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, a master of Impressionism, around the year 1910. Employing oil paint on canvas as his medium, Renoir brings to life this maternal scene in a manner characteristic of the Impressionist movement. The artwork falls within the genre of portraiture and can be found on display at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, located in Buffalo, New York, United States.
The artwork portrays a tender and intimate moment between a mother and her child. The mother, Madame Thurneyssan, is depicted seated, with a calm and gentle expression, her gaze softly directed towards the viewer. She is clad in a diaphanous, light garment that is rendered with swift brushstrokes endowed with a sense of fluidity and translucence. Her daughter, seated close beside her, echoes this tranquility with a serene face, turned slightly towards the viewer as well, sharing an affectionate moment with her mother.
Renoir’s use of diffused light enhances the softness of the composition, and a warm, harmonious palette of pastels imbues the piece with a dreamy, almost ethereal quality. The background is composed of loose, abstracted shapes and forms that suggest a lush ambience without delineating specific details. This allows the viewer’s focus to remain fixed on the figures, their connection, and the shared moment of maternal affection.
The brushwork is characteristic of Renoir’s signature style—loose, visible, and dynamic, conveying the vibrancy and immediacy of the subject matter. The figures are modeled with a subtle play of light and shadow that provides them with both volume and intimacy. It is this particular blend of form and color, depth and immediacy, that situates the work firmly within the Impressionist movement, while the poignant subject matter evokes a timeless emotional resonance.
