À propos de l’œuvre
La Femme à l'ombrelle — Madame Monet et son fils (la promenade, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Camille and Jean caught in the wind · National Gallery of Art
The Woman with the Umbrella, Madame Monet and her son W381hand painted reproduction
Seen from the bottom of a hill, Camille Monet stands out against a blue sky, a green parasol tilted above her. Her veil and white dress are carried away by the wind; behind the slope, Jean appears up to his waist in the tall grass. Monet transforms a family walk into a moment of light, quickly painted in the open air with open touches that sometimes leave the canvas visible.
Look at the work
The low point of view enlarges Camille while the wind connects sky, veil, dress and grass
Camille occupies the center, facing left but looking at the viewer. The green umbrella almost touches the upper edge. Her light skirt rises to the left and receives blues, purples, yellows and whites which reflect both folds and light.
Jean is placed lower and further away, to the left of his mother. The hill hides half of his body and accentuates the difference in plan. In the sky, clouds are brushed in rapid strokes; in the grass, touches of yellow, green and purple surround Camille's diagonal shadow.
Nothing is still: the umbrella, the veil, the dress, the clouds and the grass give several speeds to the same gust of wind.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
A portrait constructed like an apparition
The low angle places Camille above the horizon and gives her a monumental presence. His face remains partially veiled and freely painted, which retains the spontaneity of an encounter rather than the pose of an official portrait.
Just one outdoor session
The National Gallery of Art says Monet probably runs the canvas within hours. The areas of canvas left visible in the sky and the rapid brush strokes directly contribute to the sensation of the moment.
The light carried by the colored whites
The dress is never just white. The blue reflections of the sky, the yellows of the sun and the purple shadows give it volume while connecting it to the atmosphere.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The image freely distributed by the National Gallery of Art corresponds to inventory 1983.1.29 and Wildenstein number 381. It was limited to 2,415 × 3,000 px then encoded in WebP.
The veil runs through the face
Long white and gray lines pass in front of Camille's features. They must not be erased: they materialize the wind and prevent the face from becoming too detailed an area.
The umbrella combines greens and blues
Its dark side contains variations that indicate ribs, folds and reflected light. A uniform green disk would remove its volume and inclination.
The sky's reserves remain active
Certain areas with little coverage contribute to the shine and speed of execution. Filling them with a continuous blue would change the breathing of the canvas.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Signed and dated Claude Monet 75 lower right, this oil on canvas measures 100 × 81 cm. It is kept at the National Gallery of Art under the 1983.1.29 inventory and classified Wildenstein 381.
Camille Doncieux and their son Jean
Monet depicts his first wife and their child during a walk in Argenteuil. Their position suggests that they stopped for a moment while the painter observed them from the bottom of the slope.
The Walk at the second impressionist exhibition
The painting was presented in 1876 under number 161. Its natural pose and free construction were then noted as an alternative to the conventions of academic portraiture.
Gift of Paul Mellon in 1983
Passed from Monet to Doctor Georges de Bellio in 1876, then through several French collections, the work was acquired for Paul Mellon in 1965. He offered it to the National Gallery of Art in 1983.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Preserve Camille's low angle and monumental scale.
- Keep the veil moving in front of the face.
- Keep Jean partially hidden by the slope.
- Let the open touches of the sky breathe.
Work sheet
| Title | The Woman with the Umbrella, Madame Monet and her son W381 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1875 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 100 × 81 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | National Gallery of Art, Washington, United States |
| Inventory | 1983.1.29 · Wildenstein 381 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This vertical portrait is suitable for a living room, bedroom or bright space. A light oak, deep green or matte gold frame accompanies the parasol; diffused light reveals the blues and yellows of the dress without crushing the whites.
