The artwork titled “Père Melon Sawing Wood, Pontoise” was created by the artist Camille Pissarro in 1879. This oil on canvas painting is an exemplar of the Impressionist movement, measuring 89 by 116.2 centimeters. As a genre painting, it captures an ordinary scene from daily life, depicting a moment of labor in a natural setting. This particular painting belongs to a private collection and thus may not be on regular public display.
The artwork represents an outdoor scene where a man, presumably Père Melon, is engrossed in the task of sawing wood. The man wears a blue cap, a light-colored shirt, and dark pants, bent over a sawhorse in concentration. The background is stippled with the characteristic quick brushstrokes indicative of Impressionism, capturing the varied textures and colors of the natural environment. The broken twigs and branches on the ground add to the sense of a dynamic, yet everyday moment caught in time. Pissarro’s attention to the details of light and his textured application of paint create an immersive atmosphere that suggests the transient quality of light and the materiality of the surroundings. The scene is devoid of romanticism, placing emphasis on the rustic beauty of the peasant’s daily toil, and is reflective of Pissarro’s tendencies to portray the life and labor of rural communities.
