Woman With A Parasol

Monet painted two versions of this subject, 'Woman with a Parasol', which shows Monet’s stepdaughter Suzanne Hoschedé, standing on a hillside at the Ile aux Orties, near Giverny. In this piece, the first version, the girl is facing to the artist’s right and in the second she faces to the left. Both paintings are reminiscent of an earlier work by Monet, 'Woman with a Parasol 1875', in which Monet painted his first wife, Camille, and son standing on a windswept hill on a sunny day.

After the death of his first wife in 1879, Monet lost interest in figure painting, which didn’t return until he had settled in Giverny with his new companion, Alice Hoschedé, and her children. Suzanne, who was strikingly pretty and a great favourite amongst Monet’s stepchildren, tragically died in 1899 at the age of thirty-one. Her death threw the family into despair and Monet refused to be parted from the two 'Lady with a Parasol' paintings of Suzanne. They were still in his studio when he died and were presented to the Louvre in 1927 by Michel Monet.

In 'Lady with a Parasol' Monet preferred to study the effects of light upon the model rather than classic portraiture. The painting epitomises the Impressionist concept of "the glance" by using a strong upward perspective as well as feathery brushwork to convey the feeling of spontaneity. The painting feels like a modern day snapshot as the wind buffets against the parasol and makes the skirt and scarf flutter.

The original painting of 'Lady with a Parasol' is housed in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

The print is hand numbered and accompanied by a certificate signed by the Master Printer and bearing a matching number to the print.