Wife's portrait

A woman with dark hair pinned up sits in a woven wicker armchair, half-turned toward the viewer while holding an open book on her lap. Behind her hangs a brightly colored folk-style painting showing several children or riders in red and blue costume mounted on white horses, its flat, naive figures contrasting with the more naturalistically rendered sitter in front of it.

Loose, visible brushstrokes build the pale blue-grey blouse and warm flesh tones of the face and hands, while the background mixes ochre, olive, and rust in broad, gestural patches. The contrast between the naturalistic portrait and the flattened decorative scene behind it gives the composition a layered, dreamlike quality.