by Tom Gurney
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 2, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000
Pierre-Auguste Renoir faces us beneath a soft grey hat. His white beard, dark blue jacket and patterned wall share a close range of muted colours. The image on this site's Self Portrait I route is the Self-Portrait dated 1899 by the Clark Art Institute, accession 1955.611. It is later than the Clark's circa 1875 self-portrait, even though this website numbers the older painting “II”. The year and accession number are clearer ways to tell the two apart. Clark catalogue, no. 291 [1]; Clark catalogue, no. 266. [2]
At a glance
- ArtistPierre-Auguste Renoir
- Owner titleSelf-Portrait
- Date1899, Clark catalogue
- Medium and sizeOil on canvas, 41.4 × 33.7 cm
- CollectionClark Art Institute, Williamstown, 1955.611
- Inscription“Renoir” at upper left
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Watch on YouTubeThe portrait's size is modest. Renoir fills much of the vertical canvas with head and upper torso, leaving a band of decorative wall visible around the hat and shoulders. There is no brush, palette or easel to announce his trade. Like the earlier Clark portrait, it presents an artist in ordinary, respectable clothing. What changes most is the face and the way the wall participates in its image. Clark catalogue, no. 291. [1]
A face within a patterned room
Renoir's beard and moustache are pale, but neither is a simple block of white. Curved strokes make the hair flow down from cheek and chin towards the collar. The face is quieter in colour than the vivid surface of his youthful self-portrait. Beige, brown and grey dominate here, with warmer notes in the flesh. A dark blue jacket and tie give the lower part of the picture its strongest cool colour. The Clark catalogue describes this limited palette and notes that the blue is used differently from the lively blue shadows in the circa 1875 canvas. Clark catalogue, no. 291. [1]
Behind Renoir, the wall seems to carry stylized flowers or leaves. Those curved forms echo the movements through beard, collar and tie. Instead of a neutral backdrop, the decoration creates a second network of strokes around the sitter. The brim of the hat separates his head from the wall, but its soft edges and grey tone keep the two visually connected. The effect rewards a slow look: Renoir remains the focus even as the background claims a share of our attention. Clark catalogue. [1]
The eyes meet the viewer, while the beard and high collar partly mask the lower face. The Clark essay describes the expression as stiller than that of the earlier self-portrait. We can make that comparison without claiming to know exactly how Renoir felt during a sitting. An older face and restrained palette may invite a story about illness or exhaustion, but appearance alone cannot prove one.
Why the Clark dates it to 1899
This painting was long dated 1897–98. The Clark catalogue instead makes a case for 1899, drawing on a diary entry by Julie Manet from that summer. She recorded Renoir finishing a self-portrait at Saint-Cloud and described friends urging him to soften its depiction of wrinkles. The catalogue considers the Clark canvas the plausible match. The diary supports a revised date, but it is still an identification made from documentary and visual evidence, not a painted date on this canvas. Clark catalogue, no. 291. [1]
The source also places the painting near a difficult period in Renoir's health. He suffered a rheumatic attack in the winter of 1898–99 and travelled to Aix-les-Bains for treatment after completing the portrait. This context helps locate the work in his life. It does not establish that every dark or pale mark in the picture represents a symptom, nor that the stiller expression is a medical statement. The diary's account of changed wrinkles is the firmer evidence about this particular painted face. Clark catalogue. [1]
The visible signature sits at the upper left, a useful distinguishing feature. The circa 1875 Clark portrait is signed at the lower right. As with any reproduction, its colour and surface should be checked against the owner's image before making fine claims about individual pigments. The broad pattern of greys, browns, blue dress and decorated wall is already clear in the reproduction shown here. Clark catalogue, nos. 291 and 266. [1]
Two portraits, two moments
The Clark's circa 1875 self-portrait shows a younger Renoir with dark, unkempt hair, a striped collar and a lavallière tie. Its short, uneven strokes make his gaze especially alert. It was exhibited in the Impressionists' 1876 group show and passed through the collections of Victor Chocquet and Georges de Bellio. The 1899 portrait is smaller in narrative reach: it offers a head, hat, jacket and decorated interior without an exhibition story of that kind in the Clark catalogue. The contrast comes from the paintings and their separate records, not from a claim that Renoir planned them as a pair. Clark catalogue, no. 266 [2]; Clark catalogue, no. 291. [1]
Both are close portraits in which the artist chooses how to appear. In both, he presents himself well dressed and without a painter's tools. That shared choice makes the differences more interesting. The younger portrait lets blue and yellow touches cut across flesh and hair; the 1899 picture gives a larger part to restrained local colours and the wall's repeated curves. A visitor can compare the visible decisions without treating either picture as a complete record of Renoir's character at that age.
The Roman numeral in this site's address is especially unhelpful for that comparison. Self Portrait I is the 1899 Clark painting; Self Portrait II is the circa 1875 Clark painting. The route names have been retained so links continue to work, while each heading gives the owner's title and date. Other Renoir self-portraits, including a red-background 1910 canvas and a white-hat profile, are separate images and should not be collapsed into the Clark works simply because their titles overlap.
Ownership and the Clark collection
The Clark catalogue traces this portrait from Renoir's son Pierre Renoir, who held it after the artist's death, to the dealer Durand-Ruel in 1935. Robert Sterling Clark bought it on 10 April 1937; it entered the institute in 1955. That sequence differs from the young portrait's route through Chocquet and de Bellio. The catalogue also rejects an alternative earlier ownership story involving Charles Farrel and George May as unsupported. It is better to follow the owner catalogue's recorded chain than repeat a tempting but unverified name. Clark catalogue, no. 291, provenance. [1]
The museum keeps both works under the plain title Self-Portrait. Dates and accession numbers distinguish them in the collection, while their different appearances make the identification clear in front of the images. This site's “I” label belongs only to its historic URL. It should not suggest that Renoir painted the grey-hat picture first.
Looking again
Follow the edge of the hat down to Renoir's eyes. Then move through the white beard to the collar and across the blue tie. Look back at the wall: its curved decoration repeats the movement of the hair without becoming a literal part of the figure. Finally compare the young Clark self-portrait. The two paintings share a sitter and a collection, but the nearly quarter-century gap changes what Renoir sees and how he builds the painted surface. Clark catalogues, nos. 291 and 266. [1]
Renoir artworks directory
Questions about Renoir's 1899 Self-Portrait
No. “I” is this site's historic route label. The Clark's painting is dated 1899, while its other Renoir self-portrait is dated circa 1875.
The Clark connects the canvas with Julie Manet's summer 1899 diary account of Renoir finishing a self-portrait at Saint-Cloud. Earlier literature often used 1897–98.
The Clark describes patterned wall decoration that appears to form stylized flowers or leaves. Its curves echo the beard and clothing.
Robert Sterling Clark bought it from Durand-Ruel in 1937. It passed to the Clark Art Institute in 1955.
Discussion
What do you notice when you return to Renoir’s Self-Portrait (1899) — Clark Art Institute?
How do the patterned wall, grey hat and dark jacket frame the older Renoir?
Reader Insights
How do the patterned wall, grey hat and dark jacket frame the older Renoir?
The Clark catalogue dates this specific canvas to 1899, using Julie Manet’s diary.
What changes when you compare the expression and paint handling with the Clark’s circa 1875 self-portrait?
Join the Conversation
Share a close observation or a source-backed question about Renoir’s Self-Portrait (1899) — Clark Art Institute.
References
- Clark Art Institute, European paintings catalogue, no. 291, Self-Portrait, 1955.611: owner identification, revised date, Julie Manet diary evidence, visual analysis and provenance View source.
- Clark Art Institute, catalogue no. 266, Self-Portrait, 1955.584: separate circa 1875 painting and its exhibition history View source.
- Whole-work preview: Wikimedia Commons TIFF file for Clark 1955.611. Commons describes the TIFF as a public-domain faithful reproduction; its scan bears a Clark photograph credit. The image here is a reduced, border-cropped copy of the Wikimedia thumbnail View source.
