Lise Tréhot

Lise Tréhot (14 March 1848 – 12 March 1922) was a French art model who posed for artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir from 1866 until 1872, during his early Salon period. She appeared in more than twenty paintings, including notable works such as Lise with a Parasol (1867) and In Summer (1868), and she was the model for almost all of Renoir's work featuring female figures at this time. Tréhot married Georges Brière de l'Isle in 1883 and raised four children to whom she bequeathed two of Renoir's paintings, Lise Sewing (1867–68) and Lise in a White Shawl (1872), both of which are currently held by the Dallas Museum of Art.Collins, John (2013). "Tréhot, Lise." In Jill Berk Jiminez (ed). Dictionary of Artists' Models. Routeledge. pp.526–528. . .Cooper, Douglas (May 1959). "Renoir, Lise and the Le Cœur Family: A Study of Renoir's Early Development-1 Lise." The Burlington Magazine, 101 (674): 162–171. .

Early life

Lise Tréhot was born in Ecquevilly, Seine-et-Oise, France, on 14 March 1848, to Louis Tréhot and Amelie Elisabeth Boudin. Her father was the postmaster of the town until the mid-1850s, after which he moved the entire family to Paris where he sold lemonade, tobacco, and wine at a shop in the 17th arrondissement.White, Barbara Ehrlich (2017). Renoir: An Intimate Biography. Thames & Hudson. . p. 82 Lise was the fourth in a family of six children, including three brothers and two sisters. A document from this time describes Tréhot's profession as a dressmaker. Clémence Tréhot, her older sister, was the lover of artist Jules Le Cœur, who later introduced her to Pierre-Auguste Renoir at his house in Marlotte, possibly in June 1865.Cooper, Douglas (Sept–Oct 1959). "Renoir, Lise and the Le Cœur Family: A Study of Renoir's Early Development-II: The Le Cœurs." The Burlington Magazine, 101 (678/679): 320, 322–329. . Distel, Anne (1995). Renoir: A Sensuous Vision. Abrams Discoveries series. New York: Harry N. Abrams. p. 25. . .House, John. (2013). "The Many Faces of Lise Tréhot: Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Portraits of Parisiennes." In Heather MacDonald (ed.) Impressionism and Post-Impressionism at the Dallas Museum of Art. The Richard R. Brettell Lecture Series. Yale University Press. pp. 25–36. . .

Modeling period

Tréhot began modeling for Renoir when she was about eighteen and he was twenty-five. Early paintings of Tréhot at this time include Lise in a Straw Hat (1866) and Lise Sewing (1867–68). Renoir is thought to have painted a modern nude of Tréhot as Diana (1867), but it was rejected by the Salon of 1867. Renoir found critical success the next year with Lise (1867), which was well received at the Salon of 1868. The Impressionist painting depicts Tréhot in a life-size portrait, strolling through a wooded park as sunlight falls through the trees. Art critic Zacharie Astruc described Tréhot in Lise as "the likeable Parisian girl in the woods", and as a working-class girl. Émile Zola also approved, comparing Tréhot to Monet's model and later wife Camille Doncieux. French art critic Théodore Duret later observed that because Renoir's Lise was derivative of Gustave Courbet's technique, its appearance at the Salon "provoked no definite opposition".Duret, Théodore (1910). Manet and the French Impressionists. G. Richards. p. 111. . However, Renoir's decision to shadow Tréhot's face in darkness and emphasize the reflection of sunlight from her white dress in Lise led several critics to ridicule Tréhot's appearance due to the unusual contrast.White, Barbara Ehrlich (2010). Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters. Abrams. p. 28. . .

At the Salon of 1869, Tréhot appeared in a work named In Summer (1868), dressed casually in a loose blouse falling off her shoulders. John Collins notes that Tréhot's "dark, heavy-set and expressionless features" worked well in such portraits, but were less successful in more formal, costume-oriented paintings such as The Engaged Couple (1868), where she poses with artist Alfred Sisley. In the summer of 1869, she accompanied Renoir to his parents’ house in the Ville-d'Avray, and made trips to the Seine near Bougival where Renoir painted scenes with Monet on the water. La Barque (1870) is thought to depict Lise during this summer holiday.

In total, Tréhot appeared in over twenty paintings by Renoir during his early Salon period from approximately 1866 until 1872. According to art historian John House, "Lise was the model for virtually all of Renoir's female figures at this time".House, John (1997). Pierre-Auguste Renoir: La Promenade. Getty Publications. pp. 14, 81. . .

Although little is known about the exact nature of Tréhot's relationship with Renoir while she was modeling; she is said to have given birth to a baby boy named Pierre on 14 December 1868, but it is unclear what became of him and he may have died as an infant. On 21 July 1870, Tréhot gave birth to a baby girl named Jeanne (d. 1934) who was given to a wet nurse to raise as her own. Renoir continued to secretly support Jeanne financially until he died (and after his death with the help of Ambroise Vollard), but never publicly or legally acknowledged that she was his daughter during his lifetime.Distel, Anne (2010). Renoir. Abbeville Press. pp. 70–74. . .Rainbow, Rebecca (ed). (2006). Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 146, 149. . .

For unknown reasons, Tréhot stopped modeling for Renoir after 1872; it was said that she never spoke to or saw him again. Although Tréhot was an important part of Renoir's early career, he never mentioned her in any published interviews, memoirs, or biographies.

Later life

In 1883, more than a decade after Tréhot stopped modeling for Renoir, she married architect Georges Brière de l'Isle (1847–1902). As the wife of Brière de l'Isle, she raised two sons and two daughters. Tréhot bequeathed two of Renoir's paintings, Lise Sewing (1867–68) and Lise in a White Shawl (1872), to her children. It is said that before her death, she destroyed many of her personal papers related to her time modeling for Renoir. Tréhot died in Paris, in the 16th arrondissement, on 12 March 1922, at the age of 73. She is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Selected works as model

Tréhot's list of selected works includes at least twenty-six oil on canvas paintings, twenty-four of which were painted by Renoir, while two are by Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870). It is thought that Tréhot may have posed for as many as twenty-three works for Renoir, but only once for Bazille; Renoir's Landscape with Two People (1866), in which she appeared, has survived only as a fragment of the lower left corner, known as Woman with Bird (La Fille a l'Oiseau). Landscape with Two People is preserved as a painting within a painting in Bazille's Studio (1870), the only known surviving image of the full painting. Tréhot is believed to have posed for La Toilette (1869–70), another work by Bazille. At least one painting, Diana (1867), is disputed, and is thought to feature a model other than Tréhot.

Year Image Title Type Dimensions Gallery Notes 1866 Lise in a Straw Hat(Jeune fille au chapeau de paille) Oil on canvas 47 × 38.4 cm Barnes Foundation Lucy, Martha. John House (2012). Renoir in the Barnes Foundation. Yale University Press. pp. 68–69. . . 1866 Standing Young Woman Oil on canvas 24.5 × 14 cm Private collection 1866 Young Woman Seated in the Countryside Oil on canvas 24.5 × 14 cm Private collection As cited on Christie's website: Dauberville, G.-P. Michel Dauberville (2007). Renoir: Catalogue Raisonné des Tableaux, Pastels, Dessins et Aquarelles. Volume I. p. 390. . . 1866 Woman Standing by a Tree Oil on canvas 25.2 × 15.9 cm National Gallery of Art 1866 Woman by a Fence Oil on canvas 25 × 16.1 cm National Gallery of Art Coman, Florence E. (2004). Impressionism, An Intimate View: Small French Paintings in the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art. p. 30. . . 1866 Woman in a Park Oil on canvas 26.1 × 16.1 cm National Gallery of Art 1866 Landscape with Two People (Paysage avec deux personnages) Oil on canvas Unknown Only a fragment of the painting survives, depicting just the seated woman with the title of Woman with Bird (La Dame a l'oiseau). The top right corner portion is presumed missing or destroyed. The image here is a closeup of Renoir's painting displayed within Bazille's painting, Bazille's Studio (1870). Le Cœur, Marc (May 1998). "A Drawing of Renoir in 1866". The Burlington Magazine, 140 (1142): 320-322. 1866 Woman with Bird (Lise: La Fille a l'Oaseau) Oil on canvas 81 × 65 cm Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum Le Cœur, Marc (May 1998). "A Drawing of Renoir in 1866". The Burlington Magazine, 140 (1142): 320-322. 1867–68 Lise Sewing Oil on canvas 55.9 × 45.7 cm Dallas Museum of Art 1867 Diana Oil on canvas 197 × 132 cm National Gallery of Art 1867 Portrait of Lise (Lise holding a bouquet of wild flowers) Oil on canvas 65.2 × 50.3 cm Private collection 1867 Lise with a Parasol Oil on canvas 184 × 115 cm Museum Folkwang 1868 Woman in a Meadow Oil on canvas 29 × 34.5 cm Ordrupgaard Gillian, Wes (4 August 2020). From Manet to Morisot: 10 Impressionist paintings coming to the UK for the first time. Royal Academy of Arts. Retrieved 13 August 2021. 1868 Woman in a Garden Oil on canvas 105.5 × 73.4 cm Kunstmuseum Basel Bott, Gian Casper (2004). Kunstmuseum Basel. Foundation BNP Paribas Switzerland in cooperation with the Swiss Institute for Art Research. p. 41. . . 1868 A Couple (Les Fiancés) Oil on canvas 105 × 75 cm Wallraf-Richartz Museum 1868 In Summer: Study Oil on canvas 85 × 59 cm Alte Nationalgalerie 1869–70 A Nymph by a Stream Oil on canvas 66.5 × 124 cm National Gallery, London 1869–70 La Toilette Oil on canvas 132 × 127 cm Musée Fabre Tinterow, Gary. Henri Loyrette (1994). Origins of Impressionism. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 140-142, 337. . . 1870 Bather with a Griffon Dog Oil on canvas 184 × 115 cm São Paulo Museum of Art 1870 Woman of Algiers (Odalisque) Oil on canvas 69.2 × 122.6 cm National Gallery of Art 1870 Jeune femme dans une barque (La Barque) Oil on canvas 29.5 × 33.2 cm Private collection As cited in Cooper (May 1959): Vollard, A. (1918). Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Tableaux, pastels et dessins. Volume I, no. 19, p. 5. "La Barque". 1870 La Promenade Oil on canvas 81.3 × 65 cm Getty Center 1871 Woman with Parakeet Oil on canvas 92.1 × 65.1 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum 1871–72 Lise in a White Shawl Oil on canvas 56 × 46 cm Dallas Museum of Art 1871–72 Femme demi-nue couchée (Reclining Nude) Oil on canvas 29.5 × 25 cm Musée d'OrsayLaclotte, Michel (1987). The Musee d'Orsay, Paris. H.N. Abrams, p. 87. . . 1872 Woman with Parasol Seated in the Garden Oil on canvas 46 × 37.9 cm Private collection Strieter, Terry W. (1999). Nineteenth-century European Art: A Topical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. pp.247–248. . . 1872 Parisian Women in Algerian Costume (The Harem) Oil on canvas 156 cm × 129 cm National Museum of Western Art

See also List of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Notes

References

Further reading Gélineau, Jean-Claude (2007). Jeanne Tréhot: La fille cachée de Pierre Auguste Renoir. Essoyes. . . Le Cœur, Marc (2002). "O pintor, o primeiro modelo e seus primeiros admiradores: A historía que Renoir não mencionava" [Le peintre, son premier modèle et ses premiers amateurs: l'histoire dont Renoir ne voulait pas parler], Renoir: O Pintor da Vida, São Paulo, MASP, p. 33–65 (in Portuguese), 196–223 (in French) et 255–279 (in English) Le Cœur, Marc (July 2003). "Lise Tréhot: portrait d’apres nature". Association des amis du musée Renoir. Les Amis du musée Renoir. pp. 5–9. . Le Cœur, Marc (2009). Renoir au temps de la bohème. L'histoire que l'artiste voulait oublier, Paris, L’Échoppe. . .

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