Landscape at Eragny 1894

Camille Pissarro made this painting of a landscape at Eragny in 1894. Here, we see the play of light and color that characterizes French Impressionism. But we also see Pissarro's interest in depicting the everyday life of rural France. Eragny, where Pissarro lived, was a small village, and the surrounding countryside was dominated by agriculture. The late 19th century in France was a time of great social and economic change, as industrialization and urbanization transformed the country. Pissarro was interested in showing the lives of ordinary people in the face of these changes, as well as an interest in utopian socialist ideas, as promoted by contemporary thinkers such as Jean Grave. To understand Pissarro’s work, you might look at periodicals such as Les Temps Nouveaux, which was associated with the French anarchist movement, or the writings of Émile Zola, who explored the impact of industrialization on French society. These resources can shed light on the complex social and political context in which Pissarro’s art was made.