The Red Parasol

Description

Painted in 1917, The Red Parasol is one of the most important works by Józef Mehoffer, a leading representative of the Young Poland (Młoda Polska) movement. 

It depicts a woman reading a book on park steps, sheltered from the sun beneath a red parasol. The painting is rendered in the intense colours of a summer morning. It can be admired at the Józef Mehoffer House, a biographical branch of the National Museum in Krakow. The historic building of the museum, constructed in 1854, was over time the residence of several distinguished Kraków citizens, including Stanisław Wyspiański (who was born there on January 15, 1869) and Józef Szujski. The Mehoffer family donated furniture and everyday objects from the house, enabling the reconstruction of its original interior design.

At the heart of the Mehoffer collection lies a group of around 350 works by the artist, representing all phases of his career—from the 1890s to 1946. The largest group consists of works on paper: designs for monumental painting—stained glass and polychromes—as well as drawings, sketches, and studies. The museum’s collection also includes several dozen oil paintings, stained glass works, and prints. The collection is complemented by memorabilia of Jadwiga and Józef Mehoffer (including 19th-century portraits of their ancestors), objects of artistic craftsmanship, painting accessories, and collector’s items. Notable within this set is a collection of Japonisme—woodblock prints and small decorative items—gathered by Jadwiga Janakowska (the artist’s future wife) in Paris in the 1890s.

We invite you to read more about this object in the digital collections catalog of the National Museum in Kraków.
Data compiled by: Beata Studziżba-Kubacka

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