Red & Black Week: painting from the 19th century

Today is the first day of Sophistique Noir's annual Red & Black - week! There shall be many people making many posts, here you can find other participants of the first day, go and check them out!

As the first post of mine, I shall introduce a work of art, which I held dear and which is suitable for the theme. It is Lähtö Pariisista (Departing Paris) by Arvid Liljelund. Liljelund is a Finnish artist, and the painting I am concentrating on was painted 1884. Liljelund was a well-known artist, even the Russian Academy of Arts gave him distinction.

Source

But the artist is not the star of this post. The beautiful painting Departing Paris can be seen in Eastern Finland, in Kuopio art Museum, which is also the regional art museum of Northern Savo Provence. I myself visited the museum last September, but the painting I am talking about is part of the collection, so it can usually be seen.

This painting features a woman, wearing a red dress, with black belt and a black hat. I do not know that much about historical clothing, but for me her dress looks like a travel dress. I think her dress is something a gothic lady could well wear these days, I know i would! Also, I myself find the end of the 19th century with the rise of decadence rather gothic.

She is looking out of the window, so we can not see her expression. Outside can be seen in distance the silhouette of Paris. The outside looks very light and happy, but the inside of the building she is in is of much darker colors. I would love to have my walls as decorative as the wall in the painting. Wouldn't say no to that chair either, which is partly seen. :) I like this painting, because depending how I feel, I interprent it differently. Sometimes I think the lady of the painting is excited, she is off to an adventure, when she is leaving Paris. Sometimes I think she look a bit stressed out, or even resentful and bitter. Maybe her trip to Paris was not that wonderful as she had hoped?