Umehara arrived in Paris in July of 1908, aged twenty, and was greatly affected upon seeing paintings by Renoir the very next day. “These were the paintings I was searching for, that I had dreamt of, the paintings I wanted to paint myself.” While studying painting in Paris, Umehara visited numerous museums and art galleries in order to see more of Renoir’s work. He paid a visit to Renoir the next year at Cagnes-sur-Mer in Southern France, and was finally able to be accepted as his student. Made prior to his meeting with Renoir, this painting conveys Umehara’s fervor as he reverently studied the master’s painting style. The model was the daughter at the boarding house where Umehara stayed in Paris. Staring straight ahead, the color of the young woman’s eyes matches the blue of the background, and we can see Umehara’s invested interest in the expression of color and light. This work is the first of those produced by young Japanese artists who travelled overseas in order to pursue their careers in earnest.
