Camille Pissarro (French, 1830–1903)
Morning, Winter Sunshine, Frost, the Pont-Neuf,
the Seine, the Louvre, 1901
Oil on canvas
Bequest of Kathryn and Arthur Murray, 1996 (8439.1)
Camille Pissarro remained active as a painter until the
end of his life and created numerous cityscapes during
the 1890s and early 1900s. Working in series, he
repeated and varied scenes from the daily life of four
French cities: Rouen, Dieppe, Le Havre, and Paris.
Departing from the drama and narrative of the typical
genre scene, Pissarro’s focus was on the shifts in light
and atmospheric effects as the days progressed,
weather conditions changed, and seasons passed.
This canvas is one of at least forty-two paintings that he
did of the view from his apartment on the Ile de la Cité,
overlooking the Seine as it passed through the heart of
Paris. In the foreground, two figures stroll along the
raised terrace of the Pont-Neuf; in the middle ground is
the Pont des Arts, with the ramparts of the Louvre in the
distance. Less a precise record of city landmarks or
even the expression of a modern city's energy, this
painting shimmers with the chill of an early winter
morning. |