Barbara's theft

A barefoot, heavyset bearded man in loose red trousers strides across a tiled floor carrying a nude, red-haired woman astride his shoulders, her arms flung wide and a pearl necklace swinging from her neck. Behind them an open carved door reveals a striped rug, a flowering shrub stands at left, a pendulum clock hangs at right, and a black cat darts past.

Flat, sharply outlined forms in cool turquoise-green are set against warm pink flesh and vivid red cloth, painted with a smooth, enamel-like finish and hard theatrical shadows. The exaggerated proportions, frozen mid-stride pose, and comic surrounding details give the scene a farcical, dreamlike energy.