Artwork
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Robert Loftin Newman. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1894, *Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf* is an oil painting by American artist Robert Loftin Newman. Executed in a post‑impressionist idiom, the work is part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It presents a nocturnal forest scene in which the titular heroine encounters a wolf, echoing the classic fairy‑tale narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures the moment when Red, cloaked in a vivid crimson mantle, walks through a shadowed woodland while clutching a basket. To her right, a wolf with gleaming eyes watches her, alluding to the story’s tension between innocence and predation. The juxtaposition of the bright red garment against the dark forest underscores the vulnerability of the figure amid looming danger.
Technique & Style
Newman employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, allowing the deep reds of the cloak and the muted grays of the wolf’s fur to emerge from a tenebrous background. Broad, expressive brushwork and a flattened spatial treatment reflect post‑impressionist influences, while the atmospheric handling of light recalls his association with mood painting alongside Albert Pinkham Ryder.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the American art market and was eventually acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains on view. Its provenance traces a typical path for late‑19th‑century American works, moving from private collections to a major public institution.
Context
Newman, also known for stained‑glass design, worked during a period when American artists were exploring European avant‑garde trends. By choosing a familiar folk narrative, he aligned with contemporaries who used literary subjects to explore psychological depth, employing color and shadow to evoke emotional resonance rather than literal illustration.
Artist & collection
Artist
Robert Loftin Newman (November 10, 1827 – March 31, 1912) was an American painter and stained-glass designer.
