Mid-Morning Art Thread [Kris]

Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes
Camille Pissarro

The first thing I noticed about this work was the light. It is a bright, near-cloudless spring day. The French sun hangs high in the sky, creating bright highlights and little shadow. The light brightens the colors and flattens the forms. The blooming white flowers on the trees glow in the sunlight against its greens and grays. The brown in the field is not an ugly, muddy color but a light, warm tan. Few greens are used here. The grasses and leaves are just starting to grow in. For me, this allows white to dominate the painting.

Pissarro designed his painting with a low horizon, emphasizing the sky. The large blue shape of the sky is dotted with patches of white clouds – some puffy, some streaky. The clouds arc across the sky, looking like a huge dome.

In this work, the horizon does not form the usual boundary between earth and sky. Sure, Pissarro colors separate the regions. Below, browns and greens dominate while above are blue and white. A long picket fence or wall runs the length of the canvas along that line in the background. However, that horizontal is interrupted by the many verticals of the trees. They break out of their terrestrial plane into the other. One tall, skinny tree in the back stabs into the blue sky while the branches of the bare tree in front of it zig-zag through. The large tree on the left thrusts into the sky and spreads its branches. The cluster of small blossoms resemble the puffy clouds. The green leaves have a similar intensity to the blue and, to me, blend together.

The artist’s technique is quick and sketchy. He was an Impressionist but preferred the simple, everyday life of rural communities. He is painting in the open air and captures the lighting and colors accurately. The figures are simplified and unemphasized and almost get lost in the work.

It’s interesting how different people react to the same work of art. CBD thought there was a disconnect between elements of the painting. To him, the lighting seemed to say it was fall or winter, but the trees said spring. He found it odd. On the other hand, I think the brightness of the light and the lack of shadow complements the season. It’s bright and sunny. The ground is not muddy and gross. The trees are blooming and probably smell wonderful. After a long winter, these things can be uplifting to the soul. I know after the winter I’ve had, I cannot wait for spring.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:30 AM

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