Camille Pissarro

Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

Camille Pissarro was a pioneering Danish-French Impressionist painter who played a pivotal role in the Impressionist movement and influenced many Post-Impressionist artists. He was known for his naturalistic portrayals of the ‘common man’ and his balanced, kind personality that earned him the title of the ‘dean of the Impressionist painters’.

Table of Contents

Family Info

Siblings

Alfred Pissarro

Spouses

Julie Vellay

Children

Lucien Pissarro

Felix Pissarro

Georges Henri Manzana Pissarro

Paul-Emile Pissarro

Ludovic Rodo Pissarro

Jeanne Bonin-Pissarro

Jeanne Rachel Pissarro

About the Camille Pissarro

Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarrowas a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Pissarro studied from great forerunners, including Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. He later studied and worked alongside Georges Seurat and Paul Signac when he took on the Neo-Impressionist style at the age of 54.

In 1873 he helped establish a collective society of fifteen aspiring artists, becoming the “pivotal” figure in holding the group together and encouraging the other members. Art historian John Rewald called Pissarro the “dean of the Impressionist painters”, not only because he was the oldest of the group, but also “by virtue of his wisdom and his balanced, kind, and warmhearted personality”. Paul Cezanne said “he was a father for me. A man to consult and a little like the good Lord”, and he was also one of Paul Gauguin’s masters. Pierre-Auguste Renoir referred to his work as “revolutionary”, through his artistic portrayals of the “common man”, as Pissarro insisted on painting individuals in natural settings without “artifice or grandeur”.

Pissarro is the only artist to have shown his work at all eight Paris Impressionist exhibitions, from 1874 to 1886. He “acted as a father figure not only to the Impressionists” but to all four of the major Post-Impressionists, Cezanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and van Gogh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Camille Pissarro was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter who was born on the island of St Thomas in the Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands).

Camille Pissarro’s importance lies in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. He studied under the great forerunners Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot before later working alongside Georges Seurat and Paul Signac when he took on the Neo-Impressionist style.

In 1873, Camille Pissarro helped establish a collective society of fifteen aspiring artists, becoming the ,pivotal, figure in holding the group together and encouraging the other members, making him a key figure in the Impressionist movement.

Art historian John Rewald called Pissarro the ,dean of the Impressionist painters,, not only because he was the oldest of the group, but also ,by virtue of his wisdom and his balanced, kind, and warmhearted personality,.

Paul Cézanne said ,he was a father for me. A man to consult and a little like the good Lord,, and Pissarro was also one of Paul Gauguin’s masters. Pierre-Auguste Renoir referred to Pissarro’s work as ,revolutionary, for his artistic portrayals of the ,common man,.

Pissarro is the only artist to have shown his work at all eight Paris Impressionist exhibitions, from 1874 to 1886, making him a fixture of the movement.

Pissarro ,acted as a father figure not only to the Impressionists, but to all four of the major Post-Impressionists, Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and van Gogh, showcasing his far-reaching impact on the art world.

16 Quotes by Camille Pissarro

  1. 1.

    Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  2. 2.

    I regard it as a waste of time to think only of selling: one forgets one’s art and exaggerates one’s value.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  3. 3.

    Paint the essential character of things.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  4. 4.

    Everything is beautiful, all that matters is to be able to interpret.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  5. 5.

    When you do a thing with your whole soul and everything that is noble within you, you always find your counterpart.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  6. 6.

    Observe that it is a great error to believe that all mediums of art are not closely tied to their time.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  7. 7.

    It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  8. 8.

    I sometimes have a horrible fear of turning up a canvas of mine. I’m always afraid of finding a monster in place of the precious jewels I thought I had put there!

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  9. 9.

    It is absurd to look for perfection.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  10. 10.

    God takes care of imbeciles, little children and artists.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  11. 11.

    Don’t be afraid in nature: one must be bold, at the risk of having been deceived and making mistakes.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  12. 12.

    I remember that, although I was full of fervour, I didn’t have the slightest inkling, even at forty, of the deeper side to the movement we were pursuing by instinct. It was in the air!

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  13. 13.

    Work at the same time on sky, water, branches, ground, keeping everything going on an equal basis… Don’t be afraid of putting on colour… Paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it is best not to lose the first impression.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  14. 14.

    Cover the canvas at the first go, then work at it until you see nothing more to add.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  15. 15.

    I began to understand my sensations, to know what I wanted, at around the age of forty – but only vaguely.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)

  16. 16.

    At fifty, that is in 1880, I formulated the idea of unity, without being able to render it. At sixty, I am beginning to see the possibility of rendering it.

    Camille Pissarro

    Danish-French painter (1830-1903)