Pissarro started a realist, became Impressionist, then Neo-Impressionist, before returning to human landscapes. Sisley ploughed the Impressionist furrow all the way.
Durand-Ruel
Continuing to paint series of human landscapes, in his final years Pissarro was highly productive. Here are views of Dieppe and Paris.
Moving back to Impressionist style, he painted the countryside around Éragny, and views of the cities of London and Paris.
In 1885-86, he decided to become a Neo-Impressionist, but after 3 years of painting some of the finest Divisionist paintings, he faced a difficult decision.
In this period, his paintings moved away from Impressionism and simple landscapes, as he slowly became ‘pointillist’ and incorporated more figures.
Despite continuing financial distress, worsened when Durand-Ruel stopped buying his paintings, some of Pissarro’s finest pure Impressionist works.
Although he only painted 14 oils in England, they mark an early peak in his art. Subsequent landscapes around Louveciennes and Pontoise are numerous and superb too.
Not only did he help advance the mainstream Impressionists and their careers, but he led the way in his paintings. Happy 200th birthday!
Was he really one of the most important French painters of the nineteenth century?
Let’s face it, modern painting has all but disappeared into its splendidly jewelled navel.
