Landscape at l'Hermitage 1874

Camille Pissarro painted this oil on canvas titled Landscape at l'Hermitage in France, sometime in the late 19th century. Pissarro, along with other impressionist painters, sought to represent modern life, often focusing on landscapes and the effects of light and atmosphere. In this painting, the woman, a member of the peasant class, walks away from the viewer, and is dwarfed by her surroundings. This composition might reflect the social realities of rural France at the time, where the lives of working people were often difficult and overlooked. The hazy atmosphere and loose brushstrokes, typical of Impressionism, lend a sense of immediacy to the scene. To truly understand this artwork, we can research the social and economic conditions of rural France during the late 19th century. By examining historical documents, such as census records, agricultural reports, and the writings of social critics, we can gain a deeper understanding of the world that Pissarro was depicting, and how his art may have commented on the social structures of his time.