If you live in a winter climate, are you counting the days until spring? Art offers us the opportunity to make a quick transition between the seasons, especially through the landscapes of French Impressionist Camille Pissarro (1830-1903).
Below are two paintings that Pissarro created early in his career in the 1860s, that are quite different in the use of light and the spectrum of colors as well as overall mood. Yet, do you observe similarities in the compositions: the general placement of the sky, the buildings, and the path with a figure walking away from us into the background? Pissarro was still experimenting as an artist, laying the groundwork for what would later develop into what is now known as the Impressionist style in the 1870s.
See: our previous blog on Pissarro to explore other examples of his works of art.
Camille Pissarro, The Banks of the Marne in Winter, 1866, oil on canvas, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection, Art Insitute of Chicago, Illinois
Title: The Banks of the Marne in Winter, 1866
Camille Pissarro, Landscape at Les Petits, Pointoise, 1868, oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David Rockefeller in Honor of 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Landscape at Les Petits, Pontoise, 1868
CCO Public Domain Designation
The Art Institute of Chicago does not endorse or approve use of the above image or any of the material on this website. Nor has the Art Institute of Chicago participated in any projects utilizing the said image.
In the public domain, courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The National Gallery of Art does not endorse or approve use of the above image or acny of the material on this website. Nor has the National Gallery of Art participated in any projects utilizing the said image.
