Ramasseuse d'herbe

Ramasseuse d'herbes belongs to a group of works dating from the early 1880s which 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, London, 1981, pp. 94-96).

Galerie Durand-Ruel have informed us that they purchased this work in August 1891 and that it then entered the private collection of Joseph Durand-Ruel at 37, rue de Rome, Paris. The gouache then entered the collection of M. Stoll, Basel on 27 January 1938 and has remained in a private Swiss collection since the 1940s. Although this has not been confirmed M. Stoll is likely to be Arthur Stoll (1887-1971) the Swiss collector who amassed a considerable collection of French Impressionist and Swiss Art in the first half of the twentieth century.