Study of a Figure Outdoors: Woman with a Parasol Turned to the Right

Claude Monet’s return to the human figure in 1886—after largely abandoning it following the death of his first wife, Camille, in 1879—is also a return to his earlier work. In this canvas he revisits the composition of Woman with a Parasol, adopting the same low viewpoint and backlighting. What appears to be a light scene of bourgeois leisure becomes, when seen alongside the earlier painting, a meditation on memory. It is as if figures from a new generation replace those of the former one. Monet seems to project Camille’s image onto his stepdaughter Suzanne, giving her similar features and a comparable, introspective presence.

By placing Suzanne in the exact pose once held by Camille, Monet revisits not only a motif but his own past. In contrast to the earlier painting, where Camille’s gaze meets the viewer, Suzanne’s face dissolves into bluish shadow, lending her an almost spectral quality.  A striking red touch on Suzanne’s bodice has been interpreted as a subtle reference to the illness that claimed Camille’s life. Through such biographical and visual echoes, the painting reflects Monet’s growing preoccupation with memory and loss.

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P.P.S. Claude Monet often included members of his family in his paintings, yet only one of his children picked up a brush. Discover the art of Monet's stepdaughter, Blanche Hoschedé-Monet!