Village Street, Auvers-sur-Oise 1873

Camille Pissarro painted this evocative village street in Auvers-sur-Oise with oil on canvas. Although these are conventional materials for painting, Pissarro uses them in a way that acknowledges the materiality of the scene itself. Look at the thatched roofs. These are not just representations, but rough, tactile forms built from the land. The sturdiness of the buildings and the road itself convey the amount of physical labor it took to produce and maintain them, stone by stone. The painting reflects the inherent qualities of the materials of working-class life. Pissarro doesn't idealize the scene, but presents it as it is, honestly and without embellishment. He is not just painting a picture, but also acknowledging a way of life, reflecting the value of labor in the French countryside. In this way, the artwork challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.