Study for The Poor Poet

All significant components in the final painting are also seen in the oil study. In the final painting, Spitzweg set the oven further back to make room for the manuscripts that he might burn. To the left, he added a frock coat but the top hat hangs on the same place. The most obvious difference between the study and the final painting is the coloration, set mostly by the color of the umbrella that is now green instead of red. This is why the effect of the painting is colder than the study (in the two later versions of the painting, the umbrella is almost black). The colors of the oven and the towel on the line are also more subdued, reducing the lightness and warmth of the image.