Brickworks at Eragny 1888

This rural scene was painted by Camille Pissarro at an unspecified date. Notice how his distinct, small dabs of paint build up the composition, and how this technique, called pointillism, scatters light and colour to create a shimmering surface. Pissarro's pointillist technique is rooted in a structuralist understanding of visual perception. By breaking down the scene into tiny, individual points of colour, he challenges our ingrained ways of seeing and reassembles them into a new perceptual order. The semiotic function of colour here transcends mere representation; it becomes a signifier of light, atmosphere, and the very act of seeing itself. Consider how Pissarro doesn't offer a single, unified image but a collection of fragmented sensations. This destabilization of traditional landscape painting is a key element of his artistic project, inviting us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world. This shift towards a more subjective, fragmented representation marks a pivotal moment in the history of modern art.