The artwork titled “Turkey Girl” was painted by Camille Pissarro in 1884. This oil on canvas painting is an example of the Impressionism art movement and measures 81 x 65.4 cm. Classified as a portrait, it captures a rural subject which is typical for the genre during that period.
The painting depicts a young girl attending to a group of turkeys in an open landscape. The girl is standing to the left of the composition, partially under the shade of a tree, with her body slightly turned away from the viewer, giving a profile view of her figure and face. She wears a red headscarf, a brown blouse, and a blue apron or skirt, signaling her role in a pastoral setting. She holds a stick, which she uses to herd the turkeys. The turkeys are depicted with loose, impressionistic brushstrokes in varying shades of black, white, and brown, bustling at the center and lower right of the canvas.
The background stretches out into a broad, open field under a hazy sky, suggesting a vast rural landscape behind the immediate scene. There is a hint of far-off structures, possibly farm buildings, on the horizon, contributing to the rustic atmosphere of the painting. Pissarro’s usage of dappled light and color reflects the Impressionist’s focus on capturing the fleeting effects of light and movement within a moment in time.
