The Louvre and the Seine from the Pont Neuf 1902

Camille Pissarro made this painting of the Louvre and the Seine from the Pont Neuf using oil on canvas. I can picture him standing there, in 1902, squinting slightly in the Parisian light, trying to capture something fleeting. The strokes are small and quick, almost like he’s knitting the scene together with colour. There’s a softness to it, a hazy quality that makes the buildings and the water seem to shimmer. I wonder if he felt a pressure to be modern, to capture the changing city, but also to hold onto something timeless? The colours are muted – greys, blues, and pinks – but somehow they create this vibrant, living thing. You know, it’s funny, because even though Pissarro was part of the Impressionist gang, he always seemed to have his own way of seeing, a little earthier, maybe. Painters are always talking to each other, across time. Each brushstroke is a continuation of a conversation. And when we look at these paintings, we’re invited to join in, to bring our own questions and ideas to the table.