Portrait of Mme. Paulin

Renoir's 1887 Portrait of Mme. Paulin at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem was painted during the final phase of his Ingresque experiment, just as he was working toward the resolution that would produce the Large Bathers exhibited later that year. The Ingresque influence is visible in the clarity of the drawing, the precision of the contours around the face and dress, and the more controlled, less spontaneous paint application compared to his 1870s portraits. Yet the warmth of palette and the genuine human observation that characterized all his best portraiture is present throughout: this is not a cold academic exercise but a deliberate attempt to reinvigorate his technique through structural discipline without sacrificing his essential qualities. The Israel Museum, Israel's national art museum in Jerusalem, holds this as part of its collection of European masters. The portrait's date connects it to a year of completion rather than transition: by 1887, Renoir had largely worked through the Ingresque crisis and was approaching the more fluid, warmer synthesis of his final period, and this portrait shows the discipline of those years about to be released into greater painterly freedom.

The Ingresque influence is visible in Renoir's harder drawing and smoother surface in this period's portraits: contours are more precise, brushwork more controlled, the flesh modeling more academic. The palette remains warm and characteristically Renoir — the specific pinks and warm peaches of his flesh tones — but applied with greater deliberation. Dress and accessories are rendered with careful attention to fabric texture. The overall handling reflects his reassessment of classical tradition during these years of formal experimentation.