The Red Umbrella

"The Red Umbrella," oil on panel, 6x8, private collection

One of the genres of painting that interests me is figurative works, but not figure studies so much as figures in the streets. For a number of years, figurative pieces like The Red Umbrella often featured umbrellas. Umbrellas are often synonymous with rain or blustery weather, but sometimes a decorated umbrella might shade a hot dog stand or another street vendor. In any event, I've been surprised by how popular umbrellas seem to be. This small work was a study for a larger piece that never reached the easel. It's a nocturne of a narrow street in Rome. Light from a shop window throws the figure and her umbrella into view.