Art Insights — Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage By Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro was a major artist during his era. The French painter was the only one to have shown his work at all eight Paris Impressionist exhibitions from 1874 to 1886. His influence and guidance boosted the growth of such artists, as Paul Cezanne, Paul Gaugin, and Vincent van Gogh. And as every artist, Pissarro had a work he made that held a special place in his heart. It was the 1877 painting, called Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage.

During the period when Pissarro did this painting, he worked in Pointoise alongside Paul Cezanne. While Pissarro was just nine years older than his colleague, Cezanne looked upon the more experienced painter with great respect and admiration. He was not only working on his The Orchard, Côte Saint-Denis painting but also taking notes on how Pissarro created his artworks. However, respect and admiration were mutual between the artists. Pissarro held in high regard Cezanne’s talent and enthusiasm.

The Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage (1877) by Camille Pissarro. Oil on canvas, 114.9 cm x 87.6 cm. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Cezanne was always somewhere behind the Pissarro when they spent hours together in their Plein-air sessions. Both of them were probably unaware that Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage will eventually become the trademark works of Pissarro. Still, the recognition of this work did not come instantly.

15 years after finishing this painting — in one of his exhibitions Pissarro offered to the collectors to buy this work for 2000 francs. That was a serious sum at the time, and such a price was viewed as overly confident demand. Pissarro had financial troubles at the time, and it was both — a chance to improve his finances in case of success and retain his favorite painting in case nobody buys it. The latter happened, and Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage was sold by his wife only 10 years after the death of a French painter.

Why did this painting become his favorite work? It does not appear as a striking one if you look at the totality of his works. Pissarro created a series of more detailed and eye-catching works in his career. Yet, this is the one he held in the highest regard. One of the main reasons behind this is the number of hours Pissarro dedicated to painting it. The patience and the scrupulous approach created an extra layer of emotional attachment. So strong that Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage remained in the bedroom of Pissarro until his death in 1903.

The brushwork of this painting indeed looks less impressionist and more academic work. Impressionism was about putting light and quick brush strokes. Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage has more of an academic approach with a number of precise brush strokes. It gives a feeling that Pissarro really took this work scrupulously. The mountains in the background and trees had several layers of paint applied — denser at the bottom and with a lesser density as the brush strokes went up. The deeper the green color goes in the scene, the more faded it looks, while with the red tones it’s the opposite. With such a play of colors, Pissarro creates depth and perspective.

The painter also added the accent on the roof of one of the buildings, so you can clearly see the number of buildings behind the trees. However, this also hid the figures of people that are standing under the trees. You might not even notice them at the first sight.

A self-portrait of Camille Pissarro done in 1903, shortly before his death. Oil on canvas, 41 cm x 33 cm. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

The Côte des Bœufs at L’Hermitage is a good example that the impressionist painters also enjoyed a more academic approach to the process of creation. It was not always about some bright, intense emotion that could satisfy creative needs of Pissarro. His love for this painting shows that the traditional perception of the craft of the painter was not forgotten. The value was still there, and it somehow matched the calm and gentle nature all the Pissarro’s admirers attributed to him. He was a father figure for contemporary impressionists.

This painting did not bring any financial goods to Pissarro, but we can assume that he was happy to keep his favorite work instead of selling it to some collector. That old saying — you can’t buy happiness, can be attributed to this story. The process is often more valuable than the final result itself.

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