Lot Essay
Christopher Lloyd dates this pastel to circa 1882, since the figure of the young girl sketched here is very similar to that of the peasant girl seen from the back which occupies the foreground of the composition, Paysannes gardent des Vaches, Pontoise (Pissarro & Venturi 567). The painting, which is in the collection of Mrs Paul Mellon is signed and dated 1882. The artist obviously prepared for this work carefully, making drawings for the background (Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, Brettell & Lloyd 137) and a separate study on pastel for the foreground figure (P. & V. 1560).
A group of works dating from the early 1880s reveal Pissarro's heightened interest in the use of figures in composition: "The climax of this particular phase in Pissarro's art is marked by the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition (1882) at which he exhibited over thirty pictures, most of them incorporating his new treatment of the human figure. In fact these paintings are somewhat surprising for an artist who is so often regarded as a landscape painter. In this respect Pissarro moved closer to Degas and Renoir - the supreme figure painters of the Impressionist group. Pissarro's figures also have a certain psychological introspection that can be found in the subject matter treated by Degas. In contrast with the 1870s, the figures in Pissarro's paintings of the early 1880s are immobile, or, alternatively, pursue gentle tasks. They sit, lie, or loll on the ground, chatting, resting or reflecting. It is as though, having decided to enlarge the figure within the composition, Pissarro wants to focus our attention on the inner state of mind, as opposed to outward activity." (C. Lloyd, Pissarro, Great Britain, 1981, pp. 94-96).
Lloyd goes on to compare Pissarro's working methods for preparing his compositions to those of Degas, and the influence of Degas can also be seen in the contorted poses and unusually high viewpoints which characterise Pissarro's work from this time. These compositions were in turn important for the early works of Gauguin (for example, The Breton Shepherdess, illustrated in The Art of Paul Gauguin, 1988-9, no. 17 with the two related studies nos. 18 and 19). Many critics, such as Huysmans, were impressed by Pissarro's new style. After the 1882 Exhibition, he wrote: "Now this painter reveals himself to us under an entirely new aspect! As I have written before, I believe, the human figure, in his work, often took on a biblical allure, but not anymore. M. Pissarro has freed himself almost completely from recollections of Millet. He paints his country folk without false grandeur, simply, as he sees them." (J. Rewald, Pissarro, London, 1963). But Pissarro carefully refined individual poses and repeated them; an expedient used by both Millet and Degas.
According to Lloyd, "The pastel was clearly meant to be a composition in its own right and there are striking differences from P. & V. 567. The figure is seated on the bank of a river or a pond and the form is silhouetted against a rising background. The pose of the figure is similar to that in P. & V. 567 but there are changes (for example, the left arm). Also it should be noted that the top left corner is in a different technique (gouache or watercolour). The application and tonality in this area suggests a later date than the main part of the pastel and the closest comparisons are with the scenes of the female bathers (for example, P. & V. 937-941 of 1895-6). Two drawings in Oxford are also relevant (Brettell & Lloyd, nos. 262-3) in technique (no. 262) and tone (no. 263, even though somewhat damaged). It would seem therefore that Pissarro drew the pastel in 1882, but returned to it circa 1895 when he either completed the top left corner or reworked it. There are small areas of slight reworking in the right half of the pastel."
A group of works dating from the early 1880s reveal Pissarro's heightened interest in the use of figures in composition: "The climax of this particular phase in Pissarro's art is marked by the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition (1882) at which he exhibited over thirty pictures, most of them incorporating his new treatment of the human figure. In fact these paintings are somewhat surprising for an artist who is so often regarded as a landscape painter. In this respect Pissarro moved closer to Degas and Renoir - the supreme figure painters of the Impressionist group. Pissarro's figures also have a certain psychological introspection that can be found in the subject matter treated by Degas. In contrast with the 1870s, the figures in Pissarro's paintings of the early 1880s are immobile, or, alternatively, pursue gentle tasks. They sit, lie, or loll on the ground, chatting, resting or reflecting. It is as though, having decided to enlarge the figure within the composition, Pissarro wants to focus our attention on the inner state of mind, as opposed to outward activity." (C. Lloyd, Pissarro, Great Britain, 1981, pp. 94-96).
Lloyd goes on to compare Pissarro's working methods for preparing his compositions to those of Degas, and the influence of Degas can also be seen in the contorted poses and unusually high viewpoints which characterise Pissarro's work from this time. These compositions were in turn important for the early works of Gauguin (for example, The Breton Shepherdess, illustrated in The Art of Paul Gauguin, 1988-9, no. 17 with the two related studies nos. 18 and 19). Many critics, such as Huysmans, were impressed by Pissarro's new style. After the 1882 Exhibition, he wrote: "Now this painter reveals himself to us under an entirely new aspect! As I have written before, I believe, the human figure, in his work, often took on a biblical allure, but not anymore. M. Pissarro has freed himself almost completely from recollections of Millet. He paints his country folk without false grandeur, simply, as he sees them." (J. Rewald, Pissarro, London, 1963). But Pissarro carefully refined individual poses and repeated them; an expedient used by both Millet and Degas.
According to Lloyd, "The pastel was clearly meant to be a composition in its own right and there are striking differences from P. & V. 567. The figure is seated on the bank of a river or a pond and the form is silhouetted against a rising background. The pose of the figure is similar to that in P. & V. 567 but there are changes (for example, the left arm). Also it should be noted that the top left corner is in a different technique (gouache or watercolour). The application and tonality in this area suggests a later date than the main part of the pastel and the closest comparisons are with the scenes of the female bathers (for example, P. & V. 937-941 of 1895-6). Two drawings in Oxford are also relevant (Brettell & Lloyd, nos. 262-3) in technique (no. 262) and tone (no. 263, even though somewhat damaged). It would seem therefore that Pissarro drew the pastel in 1882, but returned to it circa 1895 when he either completed the top left corner or reworked it. There are small areas of slight reworking in the right half of the pastel."