While the expansive gardens and landscapes of Giverny provided much of Frieseke's subject matter, he often transposed this outdoor light and color into more intimate settings. Frieseke experimented further with contrasting colors and patterns, often incorporating into his canvases various designs seen on furniture and fabric, such as the awning that appears along the upper edge of Summer Reading (Under the Awning). As W.H. Gerdts points out, "it was Frieseke who introduced into the repertory of Giverny painting the concern for rich, decorative patterns, related to the art of Edouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, and the other Nabi painters" (Monet's Giverny: An Impressionist Colony, New York, 1993, p.172.)

This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Frieseke's work being compiled by Nicholas Kilmer, the artist's grandson.