The Woman in Red

This is a short story that came to me as I was brwsing Pinterest. A beautiful painting came up called "The Woman in Red". I was immediately inspired to write the story about how this painting came to be.

This story is not historically accurate. It is just a fan fiction about this painting. Guess it's something new that I'd like to try. :)

Hope you enjoy! All credit goes to the marvelous painting "The Woman in Red".

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The Woman in Red

Painting by Giovanni Boldini

 Story by livelifeloud14

I was coming back from an afternoon of painting in the park. Well, trying to paint in the park. I was definitely going through an “artist’s block”. Nothing had inspired me that afternoon! Nothing! This almost never happened to me, especially in the beautiful city of Paris. I was new to Paris. I had come to find the perfect inspiration for my paintings, but I hadn’t found it! As I was walking home, I passed a tavern that I had never seen before. Feeling down from my lack of productivity that day, I decided to stop in and have a drink.

As I sat down in the smoky tavern, the most beautiful woman wearing the most beautiful red dress I had ever seen walked gracefully by my table. She made her way onto the rickety old stage and sat down at a magnificent piano. The tavern had grown silent.  Everyone’s eyes were on this beauty that had graced us by her presence. She had her back turned to me, but that didn’t matter. She began to play a splendid melody. I could have sat there and listened to her play forever. But then I had a sudden realization: I had found just the thing to be the subject of my next painting! And what a beautiful subject she was. I grabbed my paintbox, my paintbrushes, and the blank canvas, and laid them out before me.

This was probably the best painting I had done yet. This woman was a marvelous beauty, the most beautiful thing I had ever come across. “I don’t think I’ll be selling this one,” I said to myself.

“Not even to the subject?”

I quickly turned around, and my heart stopped. It was her. She was standing right in front of me. She was actually talking to me.

“I-I…I mean I…if you w-want it then you can h-have it…”

“Let me get a closer look.” She paused, slowing looking over every aspect of the painting. My heart was beating faster than it ever had. I was so nervous about how my subject would find my painting.

She hadn’t said anything for several minutes. “D-Do you like it?”

“I love it! This is magnificent! I’ve never seen a work of art quite like this Monsieur…”

“Johnson. William Johnson”

“Oh! You are not French?”

“No ma’am…er, Madame. Born and raised in America. I’m here in Paris to find inspiration for my paintings…and I think I’ve found it. You are an excellent piano player by the way.”

She blushed. “Why, thank you, Monsieur Johnson. So are you new to Paris?”

“Fairly new, yes. Still finding my way around this beautiful place.”

“Would you like a five-star tour from a lifetime citizen?”

I nearly fainted. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. “Um, sure. If that’s all right with you, that is.”

“Of course it’s all right with me! Now come, gather your things, and we’ll go tour Paris!” She turned, and headed toward the exit. Then she turned around and hurried back to my table. “Oh, and by the way, my name is Marie.”

I smiled. Yep. I had finally found my inspiration.