The Road to L'Hermitage in Snow 1874

Camille Pissarro created *The Road to L'Hermitage in Snow* with oil paint, a traditional material, on canvas. The material qualities of oil paint—its viscosity and the way it can be layered—allow Pissarro to capture the textures of a winter landscape. See how the thick application suggests the weight and density of snow, while the quick, broken brushstrokes evoke the chill in the air. Think about the repetitive labor involved in preparing canvases, mixing pigments, and meticulously applying paint, stroke by stroke. Oil painting, a craft in itself, had become industrialized. The paint was now manufactured in tubes and sold to artists, marking a shift in artistic production influenced by capitalism and affecting painting practices. By choosing to depict everyday scenes and working-class subjects, Pissarro elevated the mundane through his skilled handling of materials. He blurred the lines between high art and the lived experience of the working class.