Pissaro, Camille

From New World Encyclopedia
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In 1874, after having been repeatedly rejected by the Salon, the Impressionists held their own exhibition of "independent" artists. Pissarro was the only Impressionist artist to show his work at all eight Impressionist exhibitions held between 1874 and 1886. As an artist and mentor, Pissarro was steadfast in his dedication to Impressionism and in his tutelage of younger artists. <ref>"Camille Pissarro." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.</ref>  
 
In 1874, after having been repeatedly rejected by the Salon, the Impressionists held their own exhibition of "independent" artists. Pissarro was the only Impressionist artist to show his work at all eight Impressionist exhibitions held between 1874 and 1886. As an artist and mentor, Pissarro was steadfast in his dedication to Impressionism and in his tutelage of younger artists. <ref>"Camille Pissarro." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.</ref>  
 
   
 
   
During the Franco-Prussian war in 1870-1871 Pissarro and Money travelled to London where they were impressed by the landcape paintings of [[John Constable]] and [[J.M.W. Turner]]. While in London, Pissarro painted local views including the new [[Dulwich College]], [[Lordship Lane (Dulwich)|Lordship Lane]] Station and [[St Stephen's Church]]. In 1890 he returned to England and painted some ten scenes of central London. (For more details of his British visits, see Nicholas Reed, "Camille Pissarro at Crystal Palace" and "Pissarro in West London," published by Lilburne Press.)
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During the [[Franco-Prussian war]] of 1870-1871 Pissarro and Monet travelled to London where they were impressed by the landcape paintings of [[John Constable]] and [[J.M.W. Turner]]. While in London, Pissarro painted local views including the new [[Dulwich College]], [[Lordship Lane (Dulwich)|Lordship Lane]] Station and [[St. Stephen's Church]]. In 1890 he returned to England and painted some ten scenes of central London. (For more details of his British visits, see Nicholas Reed's, ''Camille Pissarro at Crystal Palace'' and ''Pissarro in West London,'' published by Lilburne Press.)
  
In March 1893, Paris Gallery [[Paul Durand-Ruel|Durand-Ruel]] organized a major exhibition of 46 of Pissarro's works along with 55 others by [[Antonio de La Gandara]]. While the critics acclaimed Gandara, their appraisal of Pissarro's art was less enthusiastic.
+
In March 1893, the Paris Gallery [[Paul Durand-Ruel|Durand-Ruel]] organized a major exhibition of 46 of Pissarro's works along with 55 others by [[Antonio de La Gandara]]. While the critics acclaimed Gandara, their appraisal of Pissarro's art was less enthusiastic.
  
Pissarro married Julie Vellay, a maid in his mother's household. Of their eight children, one died at birth and one daughter died aged nine. The surviving children all painted, and [[Lucien Pissarro|Lucien]], the oldest son, became a follower of [[William Morris]]. The book ''Camille Pissarro: Lettres à son fils Lucien'' written by...? reveals insights into the lives of both father and son.
+
Pissarro married Julie Vellay, a maid in his mother's household. Of their eight children, one died at birth and one daughter died aged nine. The surviving children all painted, and [[Lucien Pissarro|Lucien]], the oldest son, became a follower of [[William Morris]].  
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 +
In 1892 a large retrospective of his work was held which garnered Pissarro international recognition. His most noted works are: ''Path through the Fields (1879) ''Landscape, Eragny (1895) and ''Place du Theatre Francaise'' (1898).
  
 
From 1895 on Pissarro experienced intermittent eye trouble. Pissarro died in [[Éragny-sur-Epte]] on either November 12, 1903 and was buried in [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] in Paris.
 
From 1895 on Pissarro experienced intermittent eye trouble. Pissarro died in [[Éragny-sur-Epte]] on either November 12, 1903 and was buried in [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] in Paris.
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==Style and themes==
 
==Style and themes==
 
[[Image:Pissarro.gardenatpont.750pix.jpg|thumb|250px|'''The garden of Pontoise''', painted 1875.]]
 
[[Image:Pissarro.gardenatpont.750pix.jpg|thumb|250px|'''The garden of Pontoise''', painted 1875.]]
Pissarro painted rural and urban [[France|French]] life, particularly landscapes in and around [[Pontoise]], as well as scenes from [[Montmartre]]. His mature work displays an empathy for peasants and laborers, and sometimes evidences his radical political leanings.
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Pissarro painted rural and urban [[France|French]] life, particularly landscapes in and around [[Pontoise]], as well as scenes from [[Montmartre]]. Orchard scenes were painted at his country house at [[Éragny-sur-Epte]], as were gardens, and fields - all painted under varying conditions of morning and evening sunlight, rain, and fog perhaps to accommodate the growing eye trouble he experienced towards the end of his life.  
His finest early works (See Jalais Hill, Pontoise, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) are characterized by a broadly painted (sometimes with palette knife) naturalism derived from the influence of [[Courbet]], but with an incipient Impressionist palette.????
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His finest early works (See ''Jalais Hill, Pontoise'', Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) are characterized by a broadly painted (sometimes with palette knife) naturalism.
 +
 
 +
Like Monet, Pissarro sought to depict the fugitive effects of light at a particular moment; he also, however, depicted the life of the street as in ''Place du Theatre'' which affords a view of a crowded Paris square from the vantage point of a balcony several stories high. The Impressionists, influenced by the development of [[photography]], used spatial effects and soft focuses even cutting off a scene at the edges of the frame in an arbitrary manner.  
 
===Technique===
 
===Technique===
 
In 1897 while working on a series of urban scenes in Paris, Pissarro gave the young painter Louis Le Bail the following advice:
 
In 1897 while working on a series of urban scenes in Paris, Pissarro gave the young painter Louis Le Bail the following advice:
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==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
  
An excellent teacher, he counted among his pupils and associates the French painters Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne, his son Lucien Pissarro, and the American impressionist Mary Cassatt.
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An excellent teacher, Pissarro counted among his pupils and associates the French painters [[Paul Cézanne]] and his son [[Lucien Pissarro]] and American impressionist [[Mary Cassatt]]. Californian Impressionist painter [[Lucy Bacon]] travelled to Éragny-sur-Epte, France to study with Pissarro.
 
 
 
 
his example inspired many younger artists, including Californian Impressionist [[Lucy Bacon]].
 
  
 
Pissarro's influence on his fellow Impressionists is probably  
 
Pissarro's influence on his fellow Impressionists is probably  
still underestimated; not only did he offer substantial contributions to Impressionist theory, but he also managed to remain on friendly, mutually respectful terms with such difficult personalities as [[Edgar Degas]], [[Cézanne]] and [[Gauguin]]. Pissarro exhibited at all eight of the Impressionist exhibitions. Moreover, whereas [[Monet]] was the most prolific and emblematic practitioner of the Impressionist style, Pissarro was nonetheless a primary developer of Impressionist technique.
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still underestimated; not only did he offer substantial contributions to Impressionist theory but he was a primary developer of Impressionist technique.
  
 
During his lifetime, Camille Pissarro sold few of his paintings. By 2005, however, some of his works were selling for over [[United States dollar|U.S. $]]4 million.
 
During his lifetime, Camille Pissarro sold few of his paintings. By 2005, however, some of his works were selling for over [[United States dollar|U.S. $]]4 million.

Revision as of 19:30, 4 September 2007

Eileen Williams 16:17, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

Impressionism pissaro.jpg

Camille Pissarro (July 10 1830 – November 13 1903) was a French Impressionist painter who was called the "Father of Impressionism" for his pioneering efforts in Impression, his patriarchial relationship to younger painters, and his contribution to the formation of the genre's style, practices, and exhibition policies. [1]

Of Jewish and Creole descent, Pissarro was father to a large family of talented progeny including his son, the painter Lucein Pissarro. His great-grandson, Joachim Pissarro, as of this writing, is Head Curator of Drawing and Painting at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and great-granddaughter, Lelia, is a successful painter who resides in London, England.

Pissarro, a self avowed anarchist related to common people and their everyday lives. As such his work drew on a wide choice of subjects, themes, and motifs - a diversity that escapes conventional categories and reflects his inner freedom as an artist. He once said, "Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." [1] His pragmatic philosophy can be seen reflected in his own lifestyle: he married a cook's assistant who bore him eight children.

David, please note - his name is spelled both ways: Pissaro and Pissarro. E

Biography

Jacob-Abraham-Camille Pissarro[2] was born in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, to Abraham Gabriel Pissarro, a Portuguese Sephardic Jew, and Rachel Manzana-Pomié, from the Dominican Republic. Pissarro lived in St. Thomas until the age of 12 when he left for boarding school in Paris. He returned to St. Thomas to work in the family business but spent much of his free time drawing the ports.

In 1852, he travelled to Venezuela with the Danish artist Fritz Melbye. In 1855, Pissarro left for Paris, where he studied at various academic institutions (including the École des Beaux-Arts and Académie Suisse) under a succession of masters, such as Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, and Charles-François Daubigny. Corot's landscapes and the Barbizon group are considered the most important of Pissarro's early influences. [3] It was also during this time period that Pissarro became friends with artists Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Paul Cezanne, who, like Pissarro, were seeking alternatives to the established methods of paiting.

In 1874, after having been repeatedly rejected by the Salon, the Impressionists held their own exhibition of "independent" artists. Pissarro was the only Impressionist artist to show his work at all eight Impressionist exhibitions held between 1874 and 1886. As an artist and mentor, Pissarro was steadfast in his dedication to Impressionism and in his tutelage of younger artists. [4]

During the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 Pissarro and Monet travelled to London where they were impressed by the landcape paintings of John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. While in London, Pissarro painted local views including the new Dulwich College, Lordship Lane Station and St. Stephen's Church. In 1890 he returned to England and painted some ten scenes of central London. (For more details of his British visits, see Nicholas Reed's, Camille Pissarro at Crystal Palace and Pissarro in West London, published by Lilburne Press.)

In March 1893, the Paris Gallery Durand-Ruel organized a major exhibition of 46 of Pissarro's works along with 55 others by Antonio de La Gandara. While the critics acclaimed Gandara, their appraisal of Pissarro's art was less enthusiastic.

Pissarro married Julie Vellay, a maid in his mother's household. Of their eight children, one died at birth and one daughter died aged nine. The surviving children all painted, and Lucien, the oldest son, became a follower of William Morris.

In 1892 a large retrospective of his work was held which garnered Pissarro international recognition. His most noted works are: Path through the Fields (1879) Landscape, Eragny (1895) and Place du Theatre Francaise (1898).

From 1895 on Pissarro experienced intermittent eye trouble. Pissarro died in Éragny-sur-Epte on either November 12, 1903 and was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Style and themes

The garden of Pontoise, painted 1875.

Pissarro painted rural and urban French life, particularly landscapes in and around Pontoise, as well as scenes from Montmartre. Orchard scenes were painted at his country house at Éragny-sur-Epte, as were gardens, and fields - all painted under varying conditions of morning and evening sunlight, rain, and fog perhaps to accommodate the growing eye trouble he experienced towards the end of his life.

His finest early works (See Jalais Hill, Pontoise, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) are characterized by a broadly painted (sometimes with palette knife) naturalism.

Like Monet, Pissarro sought to depict the fugitive effects of light at a particular moment; he also, however, depicted the life of the street as in Place du Theatre which affords a view of a crowded Paris square from the vantage point of a balcony several stories high. The Impressionists, influenced by the development of photography, used spatial effects and soft focuses even cutting off a scene at the edges of the frame in an arbitrary manner.

Technique

In 1897 while working on a series of urban scenes in Paris, Pissarro gave the young painter Louis Le Bail the following advice:

"The motif should be observed more for shapes and colors than for drawing. Precise drawing is dry and hampers the impression of the whole; it destroys all sensations. Do not insist on the outlines of objects, it is the brushstroke of the right value and color which should produce the drawing. - Don't work bit by bit, but paint everything at once by placing tones everywhere... The eye should not be fixed on a particular point but should take in everything, while simultaneously observing the reflections that the colors produce on their surroundings. Keep everything going on an equal basis; use small brushstrokes and try to put down your perceptions immediately. Do not proceed according to rules and principles, but paint what you observe and feel."

From 1885-1890 Pissarro experimented with Neo-Impressionist ideas. Discontented with what he referred to as "romantic Impressionism," he investigated Pointillism which he called "scientific Impressionism" before returning to a purer Impressionism in the last decade of his life.

Legacy

An excellent teacher, Pissarro counted among his pupils and associates the French painters Paul Cézanne and his son Lucien Pissarro and American impressionist Mary Cassatt. Californian Impressionist painter Lucy Bacon travelled to Éragny-sur-Epte, France to study with Pissarro.

Pissarro's influence on his fellow Impressionists is probably still underestimated; not only did he offer substantial contributions to Impressionist theory but he was a primary developer of Impressionist technique.

During his lifetime, Camille Pissarro sold few of his paintings. By 2005, however, some of his works were selling for over U.S. $4 million.


Pissarro's Palette with a Landscape, c. 1878.

Quotations

  • I regard it as a waste of time to think only of selling: one forgets one's art and exaggerates one's value.
  • Paint the essential character of things.
  • When you do a thing with your whole soul and everything that is noble within you, you always find your counterpart.
  • Everything is beautiful, all that matters is to be able to interpret.
  • All the sorrows, all the bitternesses, all the sadnesses, I forget them and ignore them in the joy of working.

Further reading

  • Adler, Kathleen, Camille Pissarro: a biography, New York: St. Martins Press, 1978.ISBN 978-0312114596
  • Rewald, John, ed. Camille Pissarro: Lettres à son fils Lucien, (1943) New York and London 1980.
  • Wood, Paul, Jason Gaiger, and Charles Harrison, Ed.

Art in Theory, 1815-1900: An Anthology of Changing Ideas ISBN 978-0631227083

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Rewald, John. The John Hay Whitney Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington. ISBN 0894680668
  • Tansey, Richard G. and Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner's Art Through the Ages Harcourt Brace, 1996. ISBN 0155011413
  • "Camille (Jacob) Pissarro." International Dictionary of Art and Artists. St. James Press, 1990. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.
  • "Camille Pissarro." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.

Notes

  1. "Camille (Jacob) Pissarro." International Dictionary of Art and Artists. St. James Press, 1990. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomason Gale. 2007.
  2. Wold Eiermann, "Camille Pissarro 1830 – 1903," in Christoph Becker, Camille Picasso (Hatje Cantz: Ostfildern-Ruit, 1999), 1.
  3. http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Pissarro Pissarro Exhibition PowerPoint with sound
  4. "Camille Pissarro." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.

External links

Template:Impressionists

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