The Pont Neuf, Rainy Afternoon 1901

Camille Pissarro made this painting of the Pont Neuf on a rainy afternoon, probably sometime in the late 1890s or early 1900s, with oil on canvas. Just imagine Pissarro setting up his easel, maybe on a balcony, trying to capture the fleeting light and the hustle-bustle of Paris. I see these strokes of blues, grays, and soft yellows suggesting the wetness and the reflections on the streets. The way he dabs the paint creates this hazy, almost dreamlike effect. It is like he’s trying to pin down a feeling, a momentary experience of being in the city. And those little figures with their umbrellas? Each a tiny brushstroke, yet they convey so much about the rhythm of urban life. Pissarro was part of the Impressionist gang, so he looked at Monet and Renoir. They were all obsessed with capturing light and movement. It’s like they were saying, "Hey, the world is changing fast, and we need to find new ways to paint it." It's all about conversation. One painter riffing off another, pushing each other to see the world in fresh, unexpected ways.