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miles from the center of Paris, in 1872. There he began a close collaboration
with Cézanne, who moved to the area the following year. The two had met
in 1861 while Pissarro was studying at the Académie Suisse, where they
bonded over their respective experiences as outsiders in the art world,
fueling both of their passions to upend the traditional constraints of the
Salons. In Pontoise, they engaged in an artistic dialogue that greatly
influenced both of their styles. They often painted the same scenes side-
by-side, capturing a range of subjects together in their own distinct styles.
Their creative and significant exchange of ideas and techniques was
crucial to both of their developing styles and by extension to the
burgeoning modern artistic developments in Paris leading to the turn of
the century.
In 1873, along with Degas and Monet, Pissarro helped write the manifesto
for the formation of
Société Anonyme des Artistes, Peintres, Sculpteurs
et Graveurs
, effectively solidifying the birth of Impressionism. The group
would show their work independently, abandoning the traditional means
of exhibiting in France for over two centuries. For Pissarro, this was a final
and definitive turning away from the Paris Salons. In this artistic "group"
with constantly shifting participation and alignment, Pissarro was the only
Impressionist to be included in each of the eight exhibitions organized by
the Société from 1874 to 1886. At this time Pissarro was fostering
relationships with important figures in the Parisian art world. The gallerist
and publisher Ambroise Vollard consulted Pissarro when he was just
starting out and opened his first gallery. Pissarro would, in turn, refer
collectors to Vollard for acquiring works by fellow Impressionists and was
especially supportive of Cézanne and Gauguin (he convinced Vollard to
organize the artist's breakthrough show in 1895).
Pissarro moved again in 1884, this time to Éragny, in the French
countryside. Soon thereafter he met Signac and Seurat and for a short
time embraced their radical new technique dubbed Pointillism. He
abandoned the practice fairly quickly, realizing that its analytical method
did not capture the spontaneity and movement, more faithful to life, that
he sought in his painting. From 1890 onward, a recurring eye ailment left
Pissarro unable to paint
en plein air
, forcing him to work more indoors
than out and thus encouraging his production of prints.
Of the Impressionists, Pissarro was the most prolific printmaker, producing
nearly 200 etchings and lithographs from 1863 to 1902. From the
beginning, he approached printmaking with a passionate fervor. In this
sense, his master prints truly represent his artistic identity, rather than act