Pathway at Chou in March by Camille Pissarro

Pathway at Chou in March was completed by Camille Pissarro in 1878 and was included in the Impressionists' sixth exhibition. Indeed, Camille Pissarro was a dominant presence in that 1881 exhibition, represented by 28 Impressionist works. Notably, Pissarro's mastery of plein air painting and observed sensation is in full play in Pathway at Chou in March. Under a volatile, cloudy sky, mist cloaks the distant trees in a blue haze. The glaze of icy color in the foreground evokes the still-hard ground in the early spring.

Pathway at Chou in March by Camille Pissarro (oil on canvas, 19-3/4x36-1/4 inches) hangs at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Doual, France.

A trademark of the Impressionists was their interest in simple, everyday activities. Next we'll examine a painting by Camille Pissarro that shares that interest.

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

• Impressionism
• Vincent van Gogh
• Claude Monet