Artwork
Peasant Woman Carding Wool
Peasant Woman Carding Wool is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection. Created in 1875, this oil painting portrays a solitary peasant woman occupied with carding wool.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1875, this oil painting portrays a solitary peasant woman occupied with carding wool. She stands outdoors, her blue skirt and white head covering contrasting with the muted landscape of trees and a distant building. The composition captures a moment of quiet labor, emphasizing the rhythm of everyday rural life.
Subject & Meaning
The work focuses on a single figure engaged in a traditional textile task, highlighting the dignity of manual work. The woman's concentrated gaze and the careful rendering of the wool suggest perseverance and the rhythm of seasonal labor, reflecting a broader interest in the lives of the agrarian poor.
Technique & Style
Executed with the loose brushwork typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century French Impressionism, the painting balances light and texture. Pissarro employs a softened palette and subtle tonal shifts to convey atmospheric light, while the tactile quality of the wool is achieved through delicate, layered strokes that suggest its fibrous texture.
History & Provenance
The canvas entered the collection of Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains on display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to representing the development of French Impressionism and the artist’s role in documenting rural French society during the 1870s.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( piss-AR-oh; French: ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of Saint Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the…
