Versailles Road, Rocquencourt
1871
Painted in 1871, right after the Franco-Prussian War, this sun-drenched scene feels surprisingly peaceful for such a turbulent time. Pissarro, a founding father of Impressionism, captures the bumpy dirt road leading out of Rocquencourt with loose, energetic brushstrokes that make the clouds look like they're actually drifting across the sky. If you look closely at the bottom right, you can spot his signature, a tiny reminder that he was out there painting en plein air, dodging mud and chickens to capture the fleeting light of the French countryside.
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