An artwork on Galleree from The Art Institute of Chicago.
About the artwork
The Banks of the Marne in WinterCamille Pissarro (French, 1830–1903)
1866
France
91.8 × 150.2 cm (36 1/8 × 59 1/8 in.); Framed: 119.7 × 178.5 × 10.2 cm (47 1/8 × 70 1/4 × 4 in.)
Oil on canvas
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection
['Impressionism', '19th century']
['weather/seasons', 'paths', 'trees', 'figures', 'building', 'hills', 'landscapes']
['oil on canvas', 'paint', 'painting', 'european painting']
['oil paint (paint)', 'canvas', 'paint', 'painting']
['oil painting', 'painting', 'painting (image making)', 'painting techniques']
This painting of a rural winter landscape is resolutely un-picturesque. Its dark color palette is uninterrupted by any majestic natural elements, such as towering trees or a glittering pond. Even early in his career, Camille Pissarro subverted traditional landscape painting by deliberately diverging from the pastoral scenes of his mentor, Camille Corot. In this large, rectangular canvas, Pisarro applied paint heavily, often using a palette knife, in emulation of Gustave Courbet, whose work is on view nearby. Just a few years after he made this work, Pissarro adopted a more immediate approach to landscape painting, working en plein air (outdoors) directly from nature rather than in a studio, a technique closely associated with the Impressionists.
| attributed to Art Institute of Chicago under CC-By license
In the hush of winter, a rural landscape unfolds, but it is far from a picturesque vision. The scene whispers stories not of grandeur but of a solemn beauty carved from the earth's muted tones. Here, darkness reigns—its color palette, deep and brooding, leaves no space for the towering trees or glistening ponds that usually capture our hearts. Instead, the canvas reveals a world grounded in reality, where even the air feels heavy with the weight of solitude.
At the helm of this artistic exploration is Camille Pissarro, a name that resonates with innovation. Early in his journey, he stepped into the light cast by his mentor, Camille Corot, and chose a different path—one that skirted around the sweeping vistas and idyllic settings of traditional landscape painting. In the large rectangular canvas before you, Pissarro's brushwork tells a compelling tale of rebellion. He worked with a palette knife, applying paint with a deliberate heaviness that pulls the viewer into a dialogue, echoing techniques of Gustave Courbet, the master whose work hangs nearby like a silent guardian of the old ways.
But with the passing of time, Pissarro’s vision began to shift. Just a few years after creating this evocative piece, he sought a more immediate connection with the landscapes that beckoned him. He began to paint outdoors, en plein air, breathing life into the canvas as he captured the world around him—vividly, spontaneously, and in all its raw, unfiltered glory. This transformation marked his embrace of the Impressionist movement, drawing him closer to nature and the fleeting moments that define our existence.
As you stand before this work, let the quiet winter landscape pull you into its depths. Reflect on how life, in its unadorned honesty, often speaks louder than the grandiose tales we might wish to tell.
About the artist
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