The lives of Renoir's subjects in the iconic painting 'Pink and Blue' took a tragic turn, as revealed in Catherine Ostler's captivating book, 'The Renoir Girls: A Hidden History of Art, War & Betrayal'. This article delves into the fascinating story behind the painting and the fates of the two young girls, Elisabeth and Alice.
The painting, a masterpiece of the Impressionist movement, depicts the two young sisters, Elisabeth and Alice, in a moment of innocence. However, the reality of their lives was far from idyllic. The girls were the youngest daughters of Louis and Louise Cahen d'Anvers, a wealthy Jewish family in Belle Époque Paris. This era was marked by rapid scientific and technological progress, as well as a flourishing of the arts.
Ostler's book explores the glittering world of the Cahen d'Anvers family, who were part of the Parisian elite, known as 'le gratin'. The family's social status was further elevated by their connections to other wealthy Jewish families, such as the Rothschilds and the Ephrussis. Louise, the girls' mother, was a well-known society beauty, hosting salons for artists and writers and conducting a long affair with art patron Charles Ephrussi, believed to be an inspiration for Charles Swann in Marcel Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time'.
The story takes a turn when Louise decides to have her children's portraits done by the up-and-coming artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The painting, 'Pink and Blue', captures the sisters in a moment of innocence, but it also sets the stage for a series of tragic events. The girls' father, Louis, was initially slow to pay Renoir, and there are rumors and suspicions surrounding the identity of the younger sister, Alice. Ostler's investigation into these mysteries forms the core of her book.
The book provides a detailed account of the Cahen d'Anvers family's life, including their involvement in the Dreyfus affair, which caused a rift between Jews and Christians in France. Elisabeth, the elder sister, converted to Catholicism in 1895, possibly influenced by her love for Comte Jean de Forceville, a Catholic aristocrat. Alice, on the other hand, married Charles Townshend, a British Army officer, and lived mostly in England.
The tragic events unfold during World War II. Alice, then 64, found herself in a vulnerable position as the Germans advanced. She and her family were forced to flee, and Alice's daughter, Audrey, chose to stay behind and work for the Resistance. The family's journey is filled with peril, and they eventually reach Bordeaux, boarding a freighter bound for Britain. The story of Elisabeth is equally poignant. She, too, faced persecution and was arrested and sent to Drancy, a Jewish collection point outside Paris. She was eventually transported to her death in Auschwitz.
The painting 'Pink and Blue' itself has a fascinating history. It was included in a collection of French art organized by a Louvre curator and sent on a tour of the Americas in 1939. The portrait was sold in 1909 by the Cahen d'Anvers family to the Bernheims, gallerists in Paris, and eventually ended up in the São Paulo Museum of Art, where it hangs today as a poignant reminder of the fragility of the Belle Époque era.
