“Haymaking at Eragny” is an Impressionist oil painting on canvas by Camille Pissarro, created in 1891. The artwork measures 47 x 38.7 cm and is classified as a genre painting, reflecting scenes of everyday life. It belongs to a private collection. The scene captured by Pissarro exemplifies the typical style and subject matter of the Impressionist movement, showcasing rural labor with an emphasis on the effects of light and color.
The image portrays a pastoral scene of agricultural labor. In the foreground, there’s a figure in a blue dress wielding a rake, working alongside another person who is partially obscured by hay. The central figures are rendered with loose brushstrokes, indicative of Pissarro’s style that captures the fleeting effects of light and movement. Further back, a group of individuals, presumably other laborers, are gathered. They seem to be engaged in similar farm work, possibly gathering the hay into stacks or piles. The artist’s use of color creates a warm atmosphere, suggesting the time of day might be late afternoon, given the golden hue that envelops the landscape. The painting’s texture and the visible strokes imbue it with a sense of liveliness and a fleeting moment in time, hallmarks of the Impressionist movement’s focus on the perception of the moment. The rural setting is typical of Pissarro’s work during this period, reflecting his interest in the life and labor of the countryside.
