The artwork titled “Woman with Umbrella” was created by the influential artist Georges Seurat in 1884, and is reflective of the Post-Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism movements. The medium is oil on canvas, denoting a detailed application of pigments suspended in oil that are composed on a woven fabric support. It is characterized as a genre painting, capturing scenes from everyday life with a focus on ordinary people and their activities. The artwork is presently held at the E.G. Bührle Foundation in Zürich, Switzerland.
In this depiction, the artist conveys the figure of a woman from the backview, prominently positioned in the foreground. She appears to be standing in a lush, verdant field, dappled with vibrant yellow botanical elements that suggest a blooming setting. The woman is dressed in a long, flowing blue garment, which gracefully envelopes her form. She holds aloft an umbrella — rendered in rich shades of red and purple — providing a striking contrast against the yellow-green hues of the landscape and reinforcing the air of leisure and repose. The brushstrokes and coloring are evocative of Seurat’s innovative pointillist technique, although this particular work predates his full-fledged commitment to that method. The overall composition highlights the artist’s fascination with light, color, and form, shedding light on the quiet dignity and contemplative mood of the subject within the natural environment.
