Subject Composition

Two standing women and a seated dog are seen in what may be a park. The picture perfectly summarises the achievements of the new technique that Monticelli had developed by the mid-1870s. He applied his paint thickly, varying the strokes in both size and direction, and he also enriched his colour palette. The specific subject is often difficult to identify in these panels in which colour and content are merged together.This painting was formerly in the collection of the Dutch artist and collector Hendrik Willem Mesdag (1831–1915). A portion of his collection, including this picture, was sold in New York in 1920, and entered the collection of Mr Harry Wearne. The painting was later presented to the Tate in 1939, together with another 11 works by Monticelli. This group of pictures was eventually transferred to the National Gallery in 1956.