The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Lock at Pontoise

oil on fabricCamille Pissarro (French, 1830–1903)/1872

Description

Pissarro was instrumental in developing the radically new Impressionist technique of painting quickly outdoors to capture fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. The rushing water and overcast sky in this view of a river lock near the artist’s home at Pontoise, a rural commune about 17 miles northwest of Paris, are rendered with rapid, broken brushstrokes of pure color. Painting directly on canvas without preliminary drawing, Pissarro may have executed this work in a single session. The shimmering surface of broken color conveys the sensation of natural, outdoor light.

Provenance

Charles Guasco; (Guasco sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, June 11, 1900 (no. 60), sold to Louis Schoengrün, Paris; Louis Schoengrün, Paris; (Schoengrün sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Feb. 7, 1901 (no. 27), sold to Max Behrendt); Max Behrendt, Paris; Possibly Gouin collection, Paris; Mrs. Carmona, sold to Wildenstein; (Wildenstein & Co., New York, sold to Eleanor Allen Cunningham); Eleanor Allen (Lamont) Cunningham [1910-1961], Hartford, CT, by descent to her son, Charles Cunningham, Jr; Charles Cunningham, Jr.; (Artemis Fine Arts/David Carritt, Ltd., London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

53 × 83 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

Modern European Painting and Sculpture

Accession No

1990.7

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Camille Pissarro (French, 1830–1903)

Modern European Painting and Sculpture • France, 19th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery