The Garden in Spring, Eragny 1894

Camille Pissarro painted *The Garden in Spring, Eragny* using oil paints, likely applying them in short, broken strokes, a hallmark of Impressionism. Pissarro’s choice of oil paint, a medium already established in fine art, allowed for rich color and texture. The materiality of the paint itself, thickly applied, captures the dappled light filtering through the trees. It invites us to consider the labor involved in creating this image. Each stroke represents a deliberate act, accumulating to form a cohesive whole. While seemingly traditional in subject and medium, Pissarro's work, as with other Impressionists, challenged academic painting. He embraced the immediacy of the everyday, reflecting the changing social landscape of late 19th-century France. The repetitive, almost rhythmic application of paint echoes the industrial processes transforming society, subtly embedding commentary on labor and the modern world. By focusing on the material and the making, we gain insight into the cultural values embedded within it.