Pissarro's People

by Richard R. Brettell

This definitive portrait of Camille Pissarro by one of the world s foremost authorities on Impressionism and French painting reveals the deep connection between Pissarro s humanitarian concerns and his creative output. Throughout his career, the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro produced a vast oeuvre of paintings, drawings, and prints inspired by his fascination with and commitment to politics. Many of these works reflect the tensions between his anarchist ideals and the realities of life in a capitalist society; however, most examinations of Pissarro have approached his art and politics as separate spheres. Published to accompany a major exhibition, this survey by a renowned expert on Impressionist painting offers a selection of canvases and works on paper that embody Pissarro's pictorial humanism at the highest level. Exhaustive archival study, interviews with surviving family members, and research drawn from thousands of newly discovered letters inform this rich and authoritative book, including individual portraits of each of the family members Pissarro so often inserted into his paintings it also examines his relationships with fellow artists, writers, neighbours, merchants, and domestic servants. The result is a refreshing and landmark reconsideration of the artist's magnificent body of work.

Genres: Art

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 2011

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exhibit, which I was fortunate to not only see but also to be part of a docent led tour, is definitely in my top 5 favorite exhibits in the last year or so, and I’ve seen many I’ve loved during that period.

This book is a fabulous exhibition catalog. It’s a bit text heavy and took some time to read. I admit I skimmed some of the text, not because I didn’t find it fascinating but because I was pressed for time to get this back to the library on time. I might borrow it again someday. A friend bought the book so I can borrow her copy. I suspect I’ll borrow it a few more times, mostly to view the art but also to more thoroughly read the excellent essays.

Wonderful paintings (I am a fan) and sketches, and photographs too. Sensibly and beautifully organized.

I highly recommend this book (and exhibit) to anyone who enjoys Pissarro’s artwork and also to anyone interested in art history and the general political and social history of the time.

Contents:

Foreword
Introduction
Pissarro’s People
1.Race and Gender: Saint Thomas and Venezuela
2. Pissarro’s Family
3. Pissarro’s Friends
4. Painting Millet after Nature
5. Maids and Domestic Service
6. Drawing the Figure
7. Rural Workers
8. Pissarro Exhibits the Figure Paintings
9. Rural Subjects
10. The Market Economy
11. Les turpitudes socials
12. After the Revolution
13. The Figure in the City
14. The Bathers: Remembering Cézanne
15. Les travaux des champs
Afterword
Camille Pissarro: A Bibliographic Essay
Lenders to the Exhibition
Works in the Exhibition
Index
Photography Credits

The exhibit and docent tour whetted my appetite to learn even more and this book was very satisfying. My only gripe is that I wish more of the prints had been shown larger than they were.

I felt so maternal and loving toward Pissarro’s daughter Minette (Jeanne-Rachel).

I find Pissarro, people in his life, his painting subjects, his outlook on life and politics so interesting, but mostly I enjoy viewing his paintings.

[William West · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was pessimistic about this exhibit. I admit, I find Pissaro's interiors, which include the family portraits that begin this exhibit, boring, almost Renoir-like in their banality, except that occassionally the depth, in the form of the shape and space of the doorways, is impressive.
But, as the exhibit progresses, and it encompasses his whole career, the exteriors take over and are amazing.
This exhibit went further than I had previously seen in addressing its subjects anarchist-utopian politics. It ends with a room devoted to images devoted to a post-revolutionary agricultural collective- an anarchist utopia.
It also dovetails to introduce the visitor to another prominent anarchist artist.Theophile Alexandre Steinlen, whose illustrations also impressed me. Finally, the show displayed for the first time Pissaro's only overtly political work, the "Turpitudes Sociales", a little book of illustrations on the evils of capitalism.

[Ann Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who enjoys reading about art will love this book. It is full of interesting information available no other place, not only about Camille Pissarro but about Impressionism and the cultural environment of that time.

Best of all, it is just a good read--smart, eloquent, and funny (Pissarro had a great sense of humor and so does Dr. Brettell). I gave it five stars because I loved it. And I highly recommend it to anyone interested in art.

I attended the opening of the exhibition, bought the book, and finished it that same day. I couldn't put it down, but now I've forgotten the exact day.