1. Camille Pissarro
“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing”

2. Pissarro was born on the island of St Thomas, in the Virgin Islands.
When he was young, he was sent to Paris, France for his schooling. He left home for good at the age of 17. His family wanted him to work at their store, but Pissarro dreamt of being a painter. He moved to Paris to follow his dream.
He studied French landscape painting, and eventually helped establish the style of painting called “Impressionism”.
As an accomplished Impressionist, he encouraged and mentored other artists.

3. Impressionism Capture the moment Scenes from everyday life
Painting outside: “plein air”
Paintings have lots of texture and brushstrokes
Impressionism is the immediate impression of an object or event. The artist tries to show you what he sees at a glance, instead of painting an exact replica of something. The artist wanted to capture the movement and life of what they saw and show it as if it is happening before your eyes.
They often painted thickly and used quick (and quite messy) brush strokes. Most of the paintings before impressionism have a much flatter, neater surface and you can't really see the brushstrokes at all. Impressionist art is created so you see the marks of the brush, but they merge together to create textures and color.
In the 19th century a group of artists in France, started to draw and paint landscapes and scenes of everyday life, like cooking, sleeping and bathing. This might not seem like a big deal, but before Impressionism, many European artists painted art that had much grander subjects such as battle scenes from history, or stories from ancient Greece and Rome.

4. 1873, oil on canvas, 26” x 37”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Let’s talk about this painting…Hoar frost is frozen dew that forms a white coating on a surface. It is also known as white frost, although Pissarro used many different colors to create the
frosty surface of the ground; pink, yellow and green combined with white dabs to render the frosty scene. The scene also includes a peasant, with a load on his back. Color
• Where do you see warm colors? (The oranges, reds and yellow upon the ground.) Where do you see cool colors? (The blue shadows on the snow, the blue sky.)
• Where did the artist use complementary colors? (Blue shadows next to orange earth.)
Space
• Describe an example of diminishing perspective in this painting. ( The trees get smaller as they recede into
the distance.)
• Where did Pissarro use linear perspective? (The shadows of the trees, the path leading into the distance.)
Repetition
• What shapes are repeated? (The trees and shadows of trees.) What kind of rhythm is created by their repetition? (Regular, because their shapes are repeated in evenly spaced intervals.)
• What colors are repeated and where? (Blue repeats through the sky and the shadows of the trees; orange repeats through the earth and in light streaks through the sky.)
Unity
• How does color contribute to the unity of this painting? (The same colors repeat both in the sky and through the ground.)
• How do the shadows of the unseen trees help to unify this painting? (They repeat across the entire width of the painting.)
• What did the artist use to make this painting? (Oil paint on canvas.)
• Can you tell whether the paint is thick or thin? How did he achieve this?
How it makes you feel?
• What season does this art work depict?
• What do you think the peasant is feeling?
Hoar Frost
1873, oil on canvas, 26” x 37”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris

5. Let me explain this painting
Let me explain this painting... Try & remember these ideas for your own piece.
This delicate painting is in the permanent collection at the Portland Art Museum, was painted when Pissarro returned to France from England. Set in a field, it depicts an old peasant dwelling (left) with a bright orange tile roof next to a newer house covered with pink plaster (right). In this simple, calm painting, Pissarro used color to define and separate his shapes and to create interest. Large areas of color define his space,
as in the grass, and he used a purer Impressionist style in the foreground (loose flowers, lots of texture and brushstrokes give the impression of flowers, grass, and leaves.
Your project today will be to create a landscape. Here are some things to remember when you are making your piece: -Color & contrast. The orange tile roof of the older house sits next to the light blue sky; and red flowers appear among the green grasses in the foreground.
-Horizon line Pissarro evenly divides his canvas, drawing his horizon near the vertical center of the painting so that earth and sky take up nearly equal area. Atmospheric perspective (clouds/sky) renders
the indistinct area in the far distance as hazy, and further extends the background space.
-Repetition of shapes Repeating the tree shapes in nearly even intervals from left to right, and by diminishing their size, Pissarro not only creates a regular rhythm in this painting, but he also uses
diminishing perspective to illustrate deeper background space to the right. The repetition of the house and tree shapes also contributes to the unity of the painting.
The Red House
1873, oil on canvas, 23-1/2” X 29”, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon

6. Boulevard Montmartre 1897, oil on canvas
During the last eight years of his life, Pissarro painted eleven separate series of cityscapes. These are 8 of the paintings of the Boulevard Montmarte in Paris. His paintings captured the same scenes at different times of day and in different seasons. In addition, Pissarro studied the way in which a scene could be totally transformed by introducing figures going about their everyday activities. But this is an urban setting, different from his other rural (countryside) pieces). Because he suffered from an eye infection in his last years, Pissarro was unable to paint outdoors. These paintings were painted indoors, as Pissarro looked out a window. Space: In this painting, space is created using linear perspective. Notice the repeating trees, houses and carriages that line the street, diminishing in size as they recede into distance to the left. Color: Notice his use of color to change the seasons and time of day/lighting.
Fun Fact: Pissarro frequently used a stationary lamppost to contrast with the bustle of his cityscapes. It was the anchor in the movement of the lively scenes. Can you find it in every piece?
Boulevard Montmartre 1897, oil on canvas

7. Camille Pissarro Paintings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH9NgaVeoUA
Using Oil Pastels

8. Today’s project
Make a landscape picture (an outdoor scene) with oil pastels.
Remember:
Horizon line: middle of the paper or a little bit higher
Lightly sketch out your scene. Do not add details yet.
Choose your oil pastel colors.
Make lots of little, layered strokes. We want to see your pastel marks! Try to use them like a brush, not like a crayon. Use a Qtip to smudge.
Fill in the land first, sky last.
Balance out your picture:
Add people, trees, houses, barns, animals, flowers, clouds in the sky