Artwork
The Harvest, Pontoise (La Récolte, Pontoise)
The Harvest, Pontoise (La Récolte, Pontoise) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This focus on rural work and peasant life aligns with a recurring theme in Camille Pissarro's oeuvre, as he frequently explored the subject of agrarian labor.
The painting portrays a group of French farmers engaged in harvesting potatoes. The composition includes a man, a woman, a tree, and a bag, emphasizing the physical tools and natural setting of agricultural labor. This focus on rural work and peasant life aligns with a recurring theme in Camille Pissarro's oeuvre, as he frequently explored the subject of agrarian labor.
By depicting the collective effort of potato gathering, the work represents the dignity of rural, working-class existence and the rhythms of agricultural life in the French countryside.
Technique & Style
The Harvest, Pontoise (La Récolte, Pontoise) is an oil painting on canvas produced in 1881 by Camille Pissarro. The work is executed in oil paint applied to a canvas support, a typical medium for the artist’s late 19th‑century landscapes. It portrays a group of French farmers gathering potatoes, a subject the artist revisited repeatedly, and arranges the figures within a naturalistic rural setting.
The composition balances the activity of the laborers with the surrounding vegetation, reflecting an impressionistic handling of light and atmosphere. Documentation does not specify the painting’s present condition.
History & Provenance
The Harvest, Pontoise (La Récolte, Pontoise) is an oil on canvas landscape painted by Camille Pissarro in 1881. The work portrays a group of French farmers gathering potatoes, a subject the artist treated repeatedly. Executed in the late 19th century, it measures 46.1 × 55.2 cm. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been held since its acquisition by Robert Lehman, who bequeathed his holdings to the museum. The work is catalogued in the museum’s records as part of the Lehman Collection.
The Harvest, Pontoise is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it forms part of the Robert Lehman Collection. The painting entered the museum through that bequest, which is reflected in its attribution to Robert Lehman as a former owner. No specific accession number is recorded in the available sources.
The sources likewise do not document any exhibition history for the work, including loans, prior displays, or gallery rotations, so none can be reported here.
Overview
The Harvest, Pontoise is an oil painting by the Dano-French artist Camille Pissarro, created in the late 19th century. This work captures a rural scene in a sunlit field, depicting agricultural laborers engaged in their daily tasks. The canvas is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a characteristic example of Pissarro's engagement with pastoral themes.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
