Garden at Pontoise
Chestnut Trees at Louveci
Place du Theatre
La Foire a Dieppe - sunny morning
Kitchen Garden with Trees - Spring
Boulevard Montmarte - Winter
Boulevard Montmarte
Boulevard Montmarte - At night.
Boulevard Montmarte on a Foggy Day
Boulevard Montmarte Mardi Gras
Boulevard Montmarte Morning, Cloudy Weather
Boulevard des Italiens - Morning
Camille Pissarro (1830 - 1903) was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist born on St. Thomas (now the U.S. Virgin Islands but then the Danish West Indies). His father was of Portugese-Jewish descent and his mother was Creole. At the age of 12 he was sent to school in Paris where he developed 'an early appreciation of the French art masters'.
Upon his return to the islands, his father put him to work as a cargo clerk, but Pissarro spend his off hours drawing and painting. At 21, he and a fellow painter moved to Venezuela where Pissarro painted full time. Later he returned to Paris where he studied with and was most influenced by Corot, among other established painters of the time.
In 1859, while attending the Academie Suisse, Pissarro met Monet, Cezanne and Armand Guillaumin, young artists who were painting in the more 'realistic' style that interested Pissarro. They agreed on the 'importance of 'portraying individuals in natural settings'. Pissarro expressed his 'dislike of any artifice or grandeur in his works.'
Pissarro, often credited with inventing the style, was called the 'dean of Impressionist painters' by Impressionist historian John Rewald "by virtue of his wisdom and his kind, balanced, and warmhearted personality." He was also the oldest of the group and the most experienced. "He was a father to me, " said Gaughin.
As you can see by my post I am especially fond of Pissarro's Paris cityscapes and his many views of le Boulevard Montmarte.
To read much more about Camille Pissarro's life and his work, please check this link.
Pissarro's Wikipedia page is also full of information.
Camille Pissarro
Lovely! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh, what beautiful paintings are here for our Saturday art education classes -- and appreciation.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to remember if my family had any of his paintings up on the walls. We had paintings by several French impressionists, but I don't think his were represented.
However, we did encounter his works in the books on French Impressionism which we had.
And stunning they are.
This was great to see today. I went to the museum today and I loved it. This is like a late night extension for me.
ReplyDeleteI really love your art posts, Yvette. There is much I love in all periods of art, but the Impressionists have a special place in my heart. Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec, Monet, Gaugin ... so many, including Pisarro! I think my favorite of these featured here is Boulevard Montmarte on a Foggy Day. Just beautiful. I have a lot of prints of the Impressionists (not the originals, of couse, or I would be writing this on a much less primitive computer system...LOL!) Interesting history of Pisarro himself, and lovely paintings to make the day brigher. Thanks for that, Yvette.
ReplyDeleteI did not know the Pissarro's relationship to Corot, but have always felt that Corot's landscapes were approaching Impressionism. It's very interesting to see Pissarro's versions of Boulevard Montemarte in all seasons and times of day. Thanks for a lovely and informative posting.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Carol.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. Pissarro appears to have been the 'grand papa' of Impressionism.
Ryan: Museums are like cathedrals for me. You must have had a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteBecky: Thanks,kiddo. You're more than welcome. I love doing these posts, picking the artists and the paintings, and doing the research. Fun.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to it.
Mark: You're most welcome. It's always amazing to me to see how all these painters wound up in Paris at almost the same time and together fashioned incredible works of art. A confluence of genius. What are the odds?
ReplyDeleteI love those Boulevard Montmarte paintings. Hadn't realized there were that many.