Garden at Eragny 1899

This painting, Garden at Eragny, was made by Camille Pissarro with oil on canvas, likely en plein air, or outdoors. As you can see, Pissarro built up this scene with thick brushstrokes, almost like trowels of paint. Look at the path, flowers, trees and sky, all rendered with visible, tactile marks. It's as if the artist wants us to feel the weight and texture of the world he’s depicting. But this isn’t just about the material qualities of paint. Pissarro was deeply interested in the lives of rural people. Eragny was a small village, and Pissarro lived there for almost two decades. The quick, direct application of paint suggests a desire to capture the fleeting moments of everyday life. By using these kinds of materials and techniques, Pissarro elevates the mundane into something beautiful and worthy of attention. He asks us to consider not just what we see, but how it’s made and what that making tells us about the world.