In Willumsen’s work, the woman appears as a strong, independent, and symbolically charged figure. In several paintings, nature plays an active supporting role: as a setting, as a reflection of an inner state, or as a tangible co-narrator in the story.

In The Green Girl, a nude woman reclines by the edge of a forest lake. Here, body and nature merge in a sensuous interplay, where light, colour, and organic forms make the motif appear vibrant and full of movement.

In Madame Watering Her Cabbage, the relationship to nature is more direct and concrete. The painting depicts Michelle Bourret, Willumsen’s third life partner, watering vegetables in the garden. In 1942, the couple moved into a house in Cannes with a lush garden, where Bourret cultivated beans, cabbages, peas, potatoes, aubergines, melons, and sunflowers for oil, among other crops. The garden enabled them to support themselves during the Second World War, and cultivating the land became a practical necessity for their daily life and survival during the hardships of the war.