This drawing, made with red ochre, black pencil, and chalk, was created while the artist worked on his painting “Large Bathers” — the central piece of the so-called Ingres period. After coming back from Italy in 1882, Renoir faced a turning point in his creativity: the impressionist pictorial language did not satisfy him anymore, so he turned to a more precise linear method, which he called “manièreaigre”. He was also inspired by Rafael and, most notably, Ingres. This evolution had an impact on both Renoir’s painting and drawing. The image of the girl has an obvious portrait nature and is especially touching. The artist was clearly drawn to this type of female beauty, and he found its expression in Aline Charigot, his love and future wife, who first became his model in 1881.