“Woman with a Parasol”
For today, a painting from one of the great sculptors of the early twentieth century.
“Woman with a Parasol” is an oil on canvas painting by the French artist, Aristide Maillol, from circa 1895. Though he worked with a variety of mediums, Maillol is most remembered for his monumental sculptures depicting the woman’s body. However, he actually began his career as a painter. This painting is regarded as Maillol’s masterpiece from this early period.
Maillol painted “Woman with a Parasol” the year he enrolled in the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At school, he studied under well-known Academic artists, including Jean-Léon Gérôme and Alexandre Cabanel. However, the real stylistic inspiration for his early work came from the Nabis artists and their inspiration, Paul Gauguin and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.
At 6’2”, this painting is life-size. For all the detail Maillol included, the stark flatness seen in the figure and background exhibit similar stylistic elements found in his tapestries. The colors are muted, lending balance and a feel of the seashore. The woman’s pose seems rigid and classically inspired. It is evident that Maillol is concerned with color and form in a more decorative sense.
“Woman with a Parasol” is currently on display at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.
For more on Aristide Maillol, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
