Woman with a Parasol (Madame Monet and her son)
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | National Gallery of Art |
| Location History: | From the artist in 1876 to Dr. Georges de Bellio [1828-1894], Paris; by inheritance to M and Mme [she née Victorine de Bellio,1863-1958] Ernest Donop de Monchy, Paris, until at least 1897. Possibly (Paul Rosenberg and Co., London, New York, and Paris).[1] Georges Menier, Paris, by 1924;[2] (Menier sale, Palais Galliera, Paris, 15 June 1965, no. 121); purchased by (Hector Brame, Paris) for Paul Mellon [1907-1999], Upperville, VA; gift 1983 to NGA. [1] The painting is cited as no. 86 in an unpublished inventory of the de Bellio collection by Remus Niculescu, \"Georges de Bellio, l\'Ami des Impressionists (I),\" Paragone 247 (September 1970). See also the letter from Niculescu to Paul Mellon dated 12 April 1970, in NGA curatorial files. This could be the Monet \"Femme au monticule\" sold by Donop de Monchy to Paul Rosenberg on 16 April 1917 (Receipt, Paul Rosenberg Archives, Museum of Modern Art, New York, file 1.c.24b, copy in NGA curatorial files) [2] The painting was lent by Menier to the Première exposition de collectionneurs au profit de la Société des Amis du Luxembourg, Paris, in 1924. |
Monet captures this beautiful scene of a woman and a son standing on a grassy hill. Using his impressionist style, Money has expertly captured the wind, as the parasol gently whips in her face. She turns to look at Monet, who appears to be looking at her from below. This woman right here is no other than Madame Monet herself: Camille, and their son Jean in the background. Time and again, Monet loved painting Madame Monet, and it is believed that she was his favourite model. Monet has artistically used greens to create the lush and simple nature of the painting, and vibrant hues of white, blues, and browns create a romantic palate for the views, but lacking the rigidity followed in Romantic and academic paintings. After the 1860s, money largely stopped figure paintings till the 1880s, which makes this work even more special. Monet wanted to show a casual family outing with the ease of comfort and familiarity rather than the standard formal posed portraits. It appears that this painting wasn’t made from days and weeks of studying and painting but hours of dedication done in one sitting. The light and colours make the painting look like what peace and contentment would look like, simple yet rare like a ray of sunshine through months of darkness or the peace that lies after making it through the worst. The spontaneous nature of painting makes it look real and natural, and the viewer can feel the wind and gentle warmth of the family’s stroll.