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 (Until 1900); (Guasco sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, June 11, 1900 (no. 60), sold to Louis Schoengrün, Paris (1900); Louis Schoengrün, Paris (1900-1901); (Schoengrün sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Feb. 7, 1901 (no. 27), sold to Max Behrendt) (1901); Max Behrendt, Paris (1901-at least 1939); Possibly Gouin collection, Paris (?); Mrs. Carmona, sold to Wildenstein (Until 1951); (Wildenstein & Co., New York, sold to Eleanor Allen Cunningham) (1951-1955); Eleanor Allen (Lamont) Cunningham [1910-1961], Hartford, CT, by descent to her son, Charles Cunningham, Jr (1955-1961); Charles Cunningham, Jr. (1961-); (Artemis Fine Arts/David Carritt, Ltd., London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (Until 1990); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1990-)