The Effect of Snow at l'Hermitage, Pontoise 1875

Editor: "The Effect of Snow at l'Hermitage, Pontoise" painted in 1875 by Camille Pissarro. It looks like an everyday landscape, probably painted outside en plein air with oil. It feels like a snapshot of rural life, but… sort of muted. What stands out to you? Curator: For me, this piece is compelling because it exposes the raw labor involved in depicting a seemingly simple scene. The quick brushstrokes, the thick application of paint… they aren’t just stylistic choices. Consider the materiality itself: oil paint, ground pigments suspended in linseed oil, a product of industry. Editor: How does that change how we see the image? Curator: Think about Pissarro lugging his materials outdoors, confronting the elements to capture this "snapshot." It wasn't just about aesthetics. It shows a specific act of production. He's not hiding the means of creation. It forces the viewer to acknowledge the physical act that led to the representation of snow. Editor: So, instead of just seeing a pretty winter scene, we are also seeing the process? Curator: Precisely. And not just his individual labor. The pigments were mined, the canvas woven, the oil pressed. Everything assembled to capture a fleeting moment of snow. By focusing on those concrete elements, we can understand the social and economic forces that shaped Impressionism itself, its market as well, the accessibility of materials. It also allows us to blur the boundaries between what constitutes fine art and “craft” due to labor. Editor: That makes me appreciate the artwork more, to look at it, not only from a pretty aesthetic point of view but how this came to be in the first place. Thanks. Curator: Indeed. Seeing the materiality and the labour helps to demystify it.