The Cours la Reine at Rouen Morning, Sunlight 1898

Camille Pissarro made this oil on canvas painting titled 'The Cours la Reine at Rouen Morning, Sunlight'. The flecks of color, applied with loose brushstrokes, reveal the materiality of paint itself. Pissarro wasn't trying to create a perfect illusion. Instead, he was interested in capturing the fleeting qualities of light and atmosphere. We might think of painting as solitary work, but Pissarro was deeply engaged with the social and political context of his time. Impressionism itself was a radical movement, challenging academic traditions and embracing modern life. In this scene of leisure on the banks of the Seine, we see the rise of the middle class and their newfound access to recreation. The industrial revolution also plays a role, bringing new materials and technologies to the artist's studio. By focusing on the act of painting itself, Pissarro elevates the everyday and asks us to reconsider what we value as art.