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CAMILLE PISSARRO (1830-1903)

ARTIST BIO INQUIREDOWNLOAD PDF
 
<div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div> <div>Camille Pissarro’s<em> Paysannes assises </em>(c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (<em>The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism</em>, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. <em>Paysannes assises</em> also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself. </div>
Paysannes Assisesc.188016 x 22 in.(40.64 x 55.88 cm) crayon on paper
Provenance
Erna Stiebel Collection
Christie’s, New York, May 11, 1995, lot 231 (from the estate of Erna Stiebel)
Paolo Dal Bosco, Trento, acquired at the above sale
Pandolfini Casa d'Aste: Tuesday, October 29, 2019, lot 00004, Rediscovered Treasures Impressionist and Modern Masterpieces (from a Private Collection)
Private Collection, London, acquired at above auction
Literature
This work will be included in the forthcoming Pissarro Digital Catalogue Raisonné
 
Camille Pissarro’s Paysannes assises (c. 1880) is a richly colored, large-scale pastel that distills the artist’s humanism and modernity into an intimate, everyday encounter. Two peasant women sit in quiet conversation, their bodies described with confident contour and softened planes of color that feel both immediate and tender. The warm tone of the paper becomes an active field, allowing passages of blue, green, and rose to breathe around the figures, while Pissarro’s unmistakably painterly strokes—alternately feathered and emphatic—give the scene texture, light, and lived presence. Bright yet restrained, the work is iconically Pissarro: direct, unsentimental, and deeply attentive to rural life.


 


Often called the backbone of Impressionism, Pissarro was the movement’s most consistent, experimental, and unifying force. He was the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886, and his generosity as a mentor shaped the next generation—Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Signac among them. In pastel, a medium prized for its speed and chromatic intensity, Pissarro found an especially apt vehicle for capturing fleeting effects and the immediacy of observation, without sacrificing structure or psychological nuance.


 


The enduring importance of his work is underscored by recent museum attention, including the Denver Art Museum’s major exhibition positioning him as “the first Impressionist” (The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro's Impressionism, October 26, 2025 – February 8, 2026), the first significant U.S. survey of the artist in four decades. Paysannes assises also resonates with closely related figure studies in major collections, such as examples at LACMA and The Morgan Library, affirming the centrality of these pastoral subjects within Pissarro’s practice and within Impressionism itself.
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