Haymaking in Eragny 1901

Camille Pissarro made this painting, "Haymaking in Eragny," with oil paint applied to canvas, a conventional combination for its time. But the way he handled these materials is anything but conventional. Look closely, and you’ll see how the texture of the canvas remains visible through the paint layers. Pissarro wasn’t trying to create an illusion of depth. Instead, he called attention to the materiality of the painting. His short, dab-like brushstrokes, capture the effects of light on the field and figures, almost dissolving them into pure sensation. We get a visceral sense of the heat and humidity in the fields, the cooperative labor of women performing agricultural work. While this approach was rooted in the tradition of fine arts, it shares an affinity with craft practices, emphasizing the value of handwork and the direct engagement with materials. In doing so, Pissarro elevated the status of rural labor, suggesting that its processes are as worthy of aesthetic consideration as any high art subject.