The artwork titled “Mother Lucien’s Field at Eragny” was created by the esteemed artist Camille Pissarro in the year 1898. This piece is executed in oil on canvas and measures 54 x 65 cm. With its roots in the Impressionism movement, the genre of the work is categorized as landscape, and it is held in a private collection.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with a bucolic scene captured with the characteristic loose brushwork and a vibrant color palette emblematic of Impressionist painting. The composition features a series of trees in the foreground, their branches devoid of leaves, suggesting a scene set in the colder months. The intricate network of bare branches dominates the upper part of the canvas, creating a semi-transparent veil through which the background scenery is observed.
Beyond the trees, one can discern a field, imbued with varying shades of green, possibly indicating the presence of grass or crops. Amongst the verdure, a few figures appear to be engaged in agricultural activity or enjoying the open air, providing a semblance of human presence and scale within the rural environment. The presence of figures within a landscape is typical of Pissarro’s interest in rural labor and the natural environment.
In the distance lies a collection of buildings with a notable structure bearing a red roof and what appears to be a chimney or perhaps a bell tower, suggesting a farm or village setting. The soft, diffuse light that filters throughout the scene creates a harmonious interplay of light and shadow, capturing the fleeting effects of natural light—a practice quintessential to the Impressionist movement. Overall, the artwork conveys a serene moment of everyday rural life, encapsulated through Pissarro’s masterful application of color and light.
