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At the Piano

Object Details

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The shiny surface of the piano, the luminescent fabric of the woman’s dress, and the image of fingers stroking ivory keys conjures a variety of textures and sounds. Theodore Robinson painted this scene of a favorite model playing a piano in the Paris apartment of his wealthy friend “Archie” Chanler. Robinson was in love with Marie but never married her. The two spent a great deal of time together in Giverny, where their relationship sparked much gossip among American tourists staying at the elegant Hôtel Baudy. One lodger wrote to her friend the Boston painter Philip Leslie Hale: “By the way, dear, it looks very strange but Mr. Robinson has a model down here who has a little daughter . . . Everyone says that . . . the little girl is the daughter of Mr. Robinson [and] the child looks very like him.” (Johnston, In Monet’s Light: Theodore Robinson at Giverny, 2004)
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Artist
Theodore Robinson, born Irasburg, VT 1852-died New York City 1896
Date
1887
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
16 1/2 x 25 1/4 in. (41.8 x 64.2 cm.)
Type
Painting

Featured In

  • Playing the Piano
  • Songs of Love
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