Renoir painted Woman Arranging Her Hat during the second half of his career, when he began to model his subjects with broader brushstrokes and louder colors than he had used in the calmer Impressionist style of his early years. During this later period, Renoir developed an interest in the subject of women and children relaxing and playing in the countryside. Here, a young woman in a summer dress is shown from behind, readjusting her hat, which has perhaps been displaced by a strong summer breeze or a lovers’ tryst.
