Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes by Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro composed the Impressionist painting Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes in 1872 while residing in Louveciennes, a village roughly 15 miles west of Paris. Pissarro, who had been living in Louveciennes in 1869, sought refuge in London during the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War but returned after the Armistice in 1871. In Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes, Pissarro's delicate handling of the pale sky streaked with thin clouds strikes the atmospheric effect of cool spring air. The muted shadows on the ground and the bright flower petals on the trees shimmering in the sun heighten the sensation.

Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes by Camille Pissarro (oil on canvas, 17-3/4x21-5/8 inches) hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Throughout his career Camille Pissarro remained interested in painting landscapes. Continue to see more Impressionist examples of this.

For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see:

• Impressionism
• Vincent van Gogh
• Claude Monet