The French ‘impressionist’ painter Jacob-Abraham-Camille Pissarro or Camille Pissarro was born to wealthy Portuguese Jewish merchant Abraham Gabriel Pissarro and his wife Rachel Manzano on July 10, 1830, on the Caribbean island of Saint Thomas, West Indies. He lived here until he was 12 years old. He then went to boarding school in Paris in 1855, where the director encouraged Pissarro to nurture his creative talents. Camille began painting professionally and created the masterpieces he is known for today. He was a sincere observer and a meticulous painter. His art represents his sharp creative style. Due to his fascination with greenery and this nostalgic place, he always returned to the island of St. Thomas when he was free. Initially, he drew coconut palms, exotic plants, donkeys, carts, and everyday life around them, such as black women washing and carrying pitchers and baskets on their heads. He ran away from home with Fritz Melbye, a Danish painter, and began painting under his guidance. In 1871, the artist took a house in Pontoise, a city northwest of Paris, France. Camille Pissarro loved to paint the landscapes of Pontoise and its surroundings. One of his most famous paintings in the series was “The Garden of Pontoise”.

In this painting you can see Camille’s love for nature and the brilliant spectacle of life that revolved around her. Considered the ‘father of impressionism’, he painted both rural and urban French life, which can be concretely evidenced in “The Garden of Pontoise”. This oil on canvas, created in the year 1875, shows a beautiful and fertile garden, full of greenery and multicolored flowers. A woman dressed in white, probably a young mother, is shown sitting, facing the viewer, on a park bench. She holds an umbrella and looks at a little girl, probably her daughter dressed in a red dress, standing sideways. The sky is blue with a few occasional clouds, reflecting beautiful weather.

Camille Pissarro married his partner Julie Velley and settled in Paris. He always experimented with art theories and adopted various new creative techniques and styles. As a result, his paintings were very varied and interesting. Critics praised Pissarro’s evolving style which created several fans. His style was distinct and he is still considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Camille Pissarro succumbed to blood poisoning on November 13, 1903. He was an active painter until his last days and then achieved the respectability that had always eluded him during his youth. His paintings, including “The Garden of Pontoise”, fetched high prices at auction and critics and new generation artists admire his work.