Peasant Woman Warming Herself 1883

Camille Pissarro made this oil on canvas painting, "Peasant Woman Warming Herself", sometime in the late 19th century. Pissarro was known for his depictions of rural life in France, and this work offers insight into his social and political leanings. During this period, French art academies and salons largely ignored the lives of working-class people. Pissarro, however, sought to elevate the everyday experiences of peasants to the level of fine art. Notice the woman's posture and clothing; Pissarro isn't romanticizing rural life, but portraying it with a sense of dignity. He engages with debates about labor, class, and the changing social landscape of France. Art historians use census records, political pamphlets, and exhibition reviews to more fully understand the image and to place it in the context of the art world in France at the time. The meaning of art is contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it's made and viewed.