Paul Writing 

Camille Pissarro painted “Paul Writing” in France using oil on canvas sometime around 1880. As an Impressionist, Pissarro was interested in the effects of light, but here we see something more like a genre painting, depicting a domestic scene of his son writing. The act of writing was becoming increasingly important in French society, as literacy rates rose and the printed word became more accessible. During the Third Republic, which was founded in 1870, there was an increase in public education and the standardization of the French language. One might therefore say that the painting shows how the Pissarro family was integrated into the new Republic’s emphasis on civic education. To understand Pissarro's painting better, we might look at how his work was received by critics at the time, paying attention to the role that impressionism played in shaping national identity. The social and institutional context always shapes the reception and creation of art.