Woman with a Parasol

Maria Wiik's 'Woman with a Parasol' (1886) belongs to the outdoor figure subjects that complemented her indoor psychological works — the woman in the open air providing different formal challenges while maintaining her consistent interest in the inner life of her subjects. The parasol subject was widespread in European Impressionist and Naturalist painting of the period, from Monet's famous compositions to numerous Scandinavian variations. Wiik's treatment would bring her characteristic sensitivity to the woman's specific presence within the outdoor setting.

Wiik's parasol subject engages with the formal possibilities of the object: its curved form creating a compositional element, its shade modifying the light on the figure beneath it, the contrast between the bright outdoor light around it and the cooler light it creates. Her handling of the outdoor figure within the bright Nordic summer light demonstrates the Impressionist influence she absorbed during her Paris studies alongside her more intimate Finnish sensibility.