Artwork
Young Peasant Girls Resting in the Fields near Pontoise
Young Peasant Girls Resting in the Fields near Pontoise is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: C. Pissarro / 1882
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes harmony between humanity and nature, suggesting a contemplative view of pastoral simplicity.
The work depicts two young peasant girls seated and resting amid a sunlit meadow near Pontoise, a rural landscape that Pissarro rendered with meticulous attention to everyday labor and the natural environment. The girls' simple clothing and relaxed posture convey a quiet dignity associated with agrarian life, reflecting the artist's interest in the honest portrayal of rural existence. By situating the figures within a gently rolling field, the painting underscores themes of tranquility and the fleeting moments of respite for the working class. The composition emphasizes harmony between humanity and nature, suggesting a contemplative view of pastoral simplicity.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, reflecting Pissarro's characteristic plein air approach and loose brushwork that captures the fleeting effects of light in a rural setting. The composition features two young peasant girls seated in a grassy field near Pontoise, rendered with delicate handling of color and subtle tonal modulation that emphasizes the naturalistic atmosphere. The canvas dimensions measure 65.41 cm in height by 81.6 cm in width, consistent with the recorded support size.
History & Provenance
The work was painted in 1882 by Camille Pissarro. It entered the collection of Paul Mellon in Virginia by 1966. Mellon bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1999, with a life interest retained by his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon, until her death in 2014.
The painting was previously exhibited as part of the 1966 loan show _French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce_ at the National Gallery of Art, where it was catalogued as no. 28.
Young Peasant Girls Resting in the Fields near Pontoise is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the collection in 1999 through the bequest of Paul Mellon, who had acquired it by 1966, with a life interest granted to his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon. Prior to its accession, the painting was lent to the exhibition French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce at the same museum in 1966, where it was listed as number 28.
Overview
Camille Pissarro’s 1882 oil on canvas entitled Young Peasant Girls Resting in the Fields near Pontoise depicts a quiet moment in a rural landscape. Two adolescent figures sit amid tall grass, their clothing rendered in contrasting hues that draw the eye. The composition is set against a softened backdrop of trees and distant cattle, suggesting a broader countryside beyond the immediate scene.
Context
Created during Pissarro’s later years in the Île‑de‑France region, the painting reflects his continued fascination with rural labor and the changing French countryside. By 1882, he was integrating Impressionist concerns for light with a more pronounced emphasis on the everyday lives of peasants, situating this piece within his broader series of field studies around Pontoise.
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