Impressionist and Modern Art

The authenticity of this lot has been confirmed by Dr. Joachim Pissarro. It will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

Provenance:

Laing Galleries, Toronto.

Acquired directly from the above in 1959.

Private Collection.

Thence by descent to the present owner.

Lot essay:

Camille Pissarro made numerous studies and portraits of himself and his close family and friends in all media. However, Pissarro was always wary of sentimentality, as he was convinced that “the art that is most corrupt is sentimental art.” Therefore, he frequently depicted his close family and friends in simple domestic situations without sentimentality.

The female depicted in the present drawing, Mother and Child, is possibly Camille Pissarro’s wife, Julie. The style of the drawing and age of the woman also indicates that it was likely made in the late 1860s. In 1860, Pissarro’s parents engaged Julie (née Vellay), as a kitchen maid. Originally from a village near Dijon in Burgundy, like many young women of rural origin in Second Empire France, Julie came to Paris looking for such work. It was while in service in the Pissarro household that Julie and the artist met. “In service” was a condition of modern life that fascinated Pissarro and became a primary subject for several important figure paintings and many drawings. In no case does the artist show these workers being supervised or commanded to perform tasks. Instead, they perform the menial tasks necessary for any clean and comfortable life. Julie and Camille formally married in 1871 and remained together until his death in 1903. The couple had eight children together, the first of which was their son Lucien, who was born 1863. Therefore, the child depicted in the present drawing is likely either Lucien Pissarro (1863-1944) or the couple’s second child Jeanne-Rachel Pissarro (1865-1874), nicknamed Minette. She was named after her two grandmothers, but tragically Minette died of a lung disease at the age of nine.

The theme of female figures and Julie sewing occurs throughout Pissarro’s career, in his drawings, gouaches, and oil paintings. One of the first known representations in oil of the artist’s wife was painted around 1860 and titled Julie Pissarro Sewing (illustrated as no. 49 in the Pissarro & Durand-Ruel Catalogue Raisonné). Pissarro painted his wife rather seldom and she is more often present as a figure in his landscape paintings, rather than as a subject of a proper portrait. It is likely that she was unwilling to sit for prolonged periods and instead, bustled around their various houses, garden, and neighborhoods, maintaining the households. Mother and Child depicts Julie blissfully unaware that she is being drawn. Pissarro was particularly fond of portraying her with an infant in her arms in personal versions of the classical mother and child theme. Due to the inscriptions, caraco violet – tablier blue, translated to purple blouse – blue apron, it is possible that this drawing may have been in preparation for a painting. However, it is impossible to satisfactorily explore if the drawings of this period were developed into paintings, as most of the paintings Pissarro did prior to 1870 were destroyed at Louveciennes in the France-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

Framed: 17 x 15 inches.
In overall good condition, with moderate deposits of surface dirt and dust. The sheet is attached to backing board on upper right and left verso corners with tissue hinges; mat burn around image perimeter, as well as some discoloration along extreme edges; toning overall; rubbing to the pigment and "C" in initialed signature along lower edge; several small tissue repairs in extreme left corner. Additional images available upon request.

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