Artwork
Ploughed Field in Winter with a Man Carrying a Bundle of Sticks
Ploughed Field in Winter with a Man Carrying a Bundle of Sticks is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1889, this oil painting captures a wintery agricultural scene where a solitary figure trudges across a ploughed field, bearing a bundle of sticks. The composition is dominated by muted earth tones and a pale sky, conveying the quiet austerity of the season.
Subject & Meaning
The work centers on a lone laborer moving toward a barren tree, his presence emphasizing the relationship between human activity and the rural landscape. The sparse vegetation and the twisted fallen tree suggest the hardships of winter farming, while the open field underscores the vastness of the countryside.
Technique & Style
Pissarro employs a thick application of paint, allowing the brushwork to remain visible and giving the surface a tactile quality. The palette is restrained, relying on greens, browns, and blues that echo the muted winter light. This impasto approach adds a sense of physicality to the terrain.
History & Provenance
The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. It reflects a period when Pissarro, a pivotal figure in both Impressionism and later Neo‑Impressionism, was exploring rural motifs and the effects of natural illumination.
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…
