Landscape at Louveciennes 1870

This landscape was painted by Camille Pissarro, likely en plein air, meaning out of doors, using oil paints on canvas. The relatively quick-drying nature of oils allowed Pissarro to capture the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, while the portability of his materials meant he could observe his subject directly. Notice how the brushstrokes are clearly visible. This directness, typical of impressionist painting, was a radical move away from the smooth, almost invisible brushwork of earlier academic painting. The scene itself - a humble view of the French countryside – is equally significant. Pissarro, like other Impressionists, turned away from grand historical subjects, to focus on scenes of everyday life. By elevating the quotidian to the level of art, Pissarro challenged established hierarchies and offered a glimpse into the changing social landscape of late 19th-century France. He and others democratized not only the subject of painting, but its making, valorizing the work involved in its production, and in the laboring people represented within it.