Artwork
A Creek in St. Thomas (Virgin Islands)
A Creek in St. Thomas (Virgin Islands) is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. It dates from 1856 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: C. Pizarro. 1856. / Paris
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on a bay bordered by trees, capturing the natural environment of the Virgin Islands.
Created in 1856, A Creek in St. Thomas (Virgin Islands) is a landscape depicting a coastal scene in the Caribbean. The composition focuses on a bay bordered by trees, capturing the natural environment of the Virgin Islands. As an early work by Camille Pissarro, it offers a direct representation of the island's topography rather than allegorical symbolism, centering on the interaction between the water and surrounding vegetation. The painting documents the artist's observation of the local scenery during this early period of his career.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1856, this landscape uses oil paint applied to an academy board support, a rigid surface distinct from canvas. The work measures 24.5 by 32.2 centimeters. Stylistically, it focuses on a naturalistic depiction of a bay and trees, characteristic of Pissarro's early landscapes.
The choice of academy board suggests a practical approach often used for studies or works made during travel, highlighting the artist's material choices during his formative years in the Virgin Islands.
History & Provenance
Camille Pissarro executed this oil on academy board in 1856. Its early ownership traces to Antoine Melbye, passing by 1936 to his nephew, Emmanuel Pichon of Le Pecq, France, where it remained through at least 1939. By 1956, the painting belonged to Mme Jules Joëts in Paris.
In 1959, she sold it to Wildenstein & Co., which transferred it to Paul Mellon of Upperville in 1960. Mellon retained the work until 1985, when he donated it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., its current location. It was exhibited in Paris in 1956 and in Berne in 1957.
Overview
Camille Pissarro's A Creek in St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), painted in 1856, is an early landscape rendered in oil on academy board. This work captures a tranquil scene from the artist's youth, depicting a serene bay and a prominent tree. It stands as a testament to Pissarro's formative years, predating the urban vistas and Impressionist experiments for which he would later become renowned.
Context
Created when Pissarro was 26 years old, this painting offers a rare glimpse into his early artistic development, long before his association with Impressionism in France. It represents one of the few surviving landscapes from his time in the Caribbean, providing valuable insight into the foundational influences and subject matter that occupied the artist in his formative years.
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