Apple Harvest 1888

Camille Pissarro’s painting, Apple Harvest, depicts rural life, offering a glimpse into the late 19th-century French countryside. Pissarro, a key figure in the Impressionist movement, was deeply interested in the lives of peasants and the working class, often portraying them with dignity and respect. Here, we see figures engaged in the apple harvest, a scene that speaks to the rhythms of agricultural life and the communal effort of labor. The gendered division of labor is notable: women are bent over, gathering fallen fruit, while a man uses a long pole to knock apples from the tree. The bodies of the laborers suggest a close relationship with the land, marked by both toil and sustenance. Pissarro's artistic style is characterized by small touches of pure colour, reflecting a sense of light and atmosphere that brings a sense of warmth and immediacy to the scene. But beyond its aesthetic appeal, Apple Harvest offers a glimpse into the social and economic realities of rural France during a period of significant transformation, showing the lives of those who lived and worked the land.