The Seine Viewed from the Pont Neuf, Winter 1902

Camille Pissarro made this painting of the Seine in winter using small brushstrokes, mostly in whites, greys, and browns. Imagine him standing there on the Pont Neuf, battling the cold, trying to capture that muted, almost ghostly light. You can feel the stillness of a winter's day in the city, the bare trees, and the buildings blurred by a hazy atmosphere. The paint isn't applied thickly, but in short, soft strokes that create an overall shimmering effect. It’s a fleeting moment, like a memory fading at the edges. Pissarro was always interested in the everyday, in the life of the city, and here he gives us a view that is both intimate and distant. The way he handles the light and atmosphere reminds me of Turner, but with a more grounded, almost melancholic feel. It makes you wonder, what was he thinking as he painted? What stories did he see unfolding along the Seine?