Peasant life
Pissarro lived in Pontoise, a village in the countryside of France, where he took advantage of the peace and quiet to capture rural life and the landscapes in his etchings. He saw beauty in the humblest of subjects: a fence, a cow or a peasant woman with a group of geese at the waterside. Vincent van Gogh was a great admirer of Pissarro’s work, because of his modern depictions of peasant life.
Camille Pissarro, Vegetable Market at Pontoise (Marché aux légumes, à Pontoise), 1891
Experimentation
Pissarro considered that the process of experimentation was to be more important than the ultimate edition. He printed various states – different versions – of each composition. Pissarro manipulated his etching plate using unconventional materials such as sandpaper and wire brushes, which enabled him to introduce tonal and atmospheric contrasts. He and his fellow Impressionist printmakers wanted to capture the changing effects of nature, such as rain or certain light effects.
Camille Pissarro, The Old Cottage (La masure), 1879
Camille Pissarro, The Old Cottage (La masure), 1879
Camille Pissarro, The Old Cottage (La masure), 1879
Camille Pissarro, The Old Cottage (La masure), 1879