Woman with an Umbrella (Femme au parapluie) by Louis Anquetin

Woman with an Umbrella (Femme au parapluie) - Louis Anquetin - Canvas Oil Painting

About This Piece

From the first sketch to the final varnish, Woman with an Umbrella (Femme au parapluie) is made by hand. Based on Louis Anquetin's original. This romantic oil painting wall decor is crafted on artist-grade canvas for anyone who wants portrait oil painting with the character of an original.

The Story Behind the Painting

1890
pastel and charcoal on paper
28 1/2 x 21 5/8 in. (72.5 x 55 cm.)
Private collection, United Kingdom.

While living in Paris during the mid-1880s, in conversations with his brother Théo, Vincent van Gogh coined the term 'painters of the petit boulevard'. He was referring to up and coming artists like himself who were experimenting with Neo-Impressionism and other avant-garde techniques, and who featured subjects from contemporary city life. Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Sisley - the established Impressionists - were the masters of the 'grand boulevard'; their dealers, Georges Petit and Paul Durand-Ruel, had galleries located on the large thoroughfares in the centre of Paris. Among the painters of the petit boulevard, Vincent included his friends Emile Bernard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Louis Anquetin, all of whom had studied at Fernand Cormon's atelier in Montmartre.

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Anquetin stood out from this group. John Rewald has noted that 'His friends, especially Lautrec, admired the ease and forcefulness with which he expressed himself as an artist, as well as the passion with which he set out to invent painting all over again. Lautrec went so far as to say that since Manet no painter had been so richly gifted as Anquetin' (in Post-Impressionism, New York, 1978, pp. 29-30). Anquetin was not yet thirty when he made his own distinctive and innovative contribution to modernism. In an essay in the 1 March 1888 issue of La Revue Indépendante, the critic Edouard Dujardin pointed out 'a rather new and novel manner' that he had detected in the recent work of his friend Anquetin: 'At first sight, his works proclaim the idea of decorative painting: traced outlines along with strong and fixed colouration... Outline, in quasi-abstract sign, gives the character of the object, unity of colour determines the atmosphere, fixes the sensation' (quoted in B. Welsh-Ocharov, exh. cat., Vincent van Gogh and the Birth of Cloisonism, Toronto, 1981, p. 23).

Anquetin drew Femme au parapluie during this landmark period in the development of Post-Impressionist modernism. The subject is a stylish modern woman of the petit boulevard, taking an evening stroll. Anquetin composed this scene using a series of curved, circular and arching outlines, by which he described the forms of the ladies' umbrellas, the carriage wheels, the bust and profile of the young woman and even the contour of the sidewalk. Clearly circumscribed and flat zones of colour comprise the overall nocturnal tonality of the picture, against which the artist has spotlighted smaller areas of more detailed treatment, as in the woman's hat and dress, in her hands and neck and in the umbrella handle.

Anquetin's position as a leading modernist lasted only a few years. In 1892 he began to study the work of Rubens, Titian and Tintoretto, which inspired him to undertake what he called his 'retour au metier', a return to traditional craftsmanship in painting. His friend Bernard also turned to pursue a similar, conservative path during this time. Anquetin nonetheless continued to show with the Groupe Impressioniste et Synthétiste. He remained a close friend of Lautrec, with whom he often shared a table, as well as his unstinting attraction to the 'petit boulevard' and Montmartre night life.

The figurative subject is rebuilt stroke by stroke in oil, giving the finished canvas the depth expected of romantic oil painting wall decor.

Materials & Craftsmanship

Trained artists work in stages — underpainting, mid-tones, highlights, and detail — using traditional oils on canvas. Because nothing is printed, every hand painted oil painting has its own subtle texture and depth.

What Is Included

• 100% hand-painted oil painting on artist-grade canvas — never a print or digital reproduction.
• Comes with a 2-inch unpainted margin on every side, ready for stretcher bars or a frame.
• No middlemen — we ship directly to you worldwide.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Any size you need can be produced — just tell us your preferred dimensions.
• Affordable delivery options via DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and more.
• We stretch your canvas onto wooden bars at no extra charge, and can arrange custom framing.
• You will receive a photo of your completed painting by email for sign-off prior to shipping.

Styling & Placement

For dining room wall art that does not feel generic, a painted figurative canvas is hard to beat. It is a popular portrait oil painting pick for new homeowners and a durable alternative to seasonal poster art.

Ordering & Peace of Mind

Order Woman with an Umbrella (Femme au parapluie) as a hand painted oil painting on canvas and add lasting romantic character to your dining room. Custom sizes, a digital proof before dispatch, and secure worldwide shipping are included.