The Thaw, Eragny 1893

Camille Pissarro made ‘The Thaw, Eragny’ with oil on canvas, using small brushstrokes to capture a fleeting moment in time. Here, Pissarro applied the impasto technique, where paint is laid on thickly, to give a textured surface that captures the roughness of the winter landscape. It is as if the scene is sculpted with paint. The repeated application of these strokes created an image of the landscape and the feeling of thaw. Notice the way the light reflects off each dab of color, enlivening the wintery scene with movement. The beauty of this piece lies not just in the final image, but in the labor-intensive process that Pissarro embraced. Painting en plein air allowed him to engage directly with the changing conditions, and in turn, with the seasonal labor of those who lived and worked the land. Paying attention to materiality, making, and context, we can see beyond the surface and understand more deeply the layers of meaning in the work.