Renoir and Pissarro | Different Views

Connaught Brown explores the work of two titans of Impressionism – Camille Pissarro and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

This major exhibition will, through their art, examine their views on society, subject matter, practice and technique.

 

As the founders of Impressionism, alongside Monet and Sisley, the two artists are often associated with one another. They exhibited together at the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874 in Paris and two of its subsequent editions.

 

Despite starting as friends, the right wing Renoir became alienated from the left wing Pissarro as the years went by. These ideologies separated the artists both personally and artistically. Within their paintings they differed on what they saw as of importance in their surroundings: Pissarro chose a form of realism, elevating a humble life, while Renoir favoured bucolic idealism.

 

The two artists also had opposing views on their role for the next generation of painters. When Renoir moved to Cagnes in the South of France he developed anincreasingly rich palette, which caught the attention of Matisse, Valtat and Modigliani, all of whom travelled to thevillage to pay homage to him. Revered as a figure to be studied, it is clear thatRenoir saw his role as that of imparter of knowledge.

In contrast, Pissarro viewed his relationship with the younger generation as reciprocal. Van Gogh, Gauguin, Luce and Cezanne all learnt from him. In turn, he studied them, adopting the pointillist technique after being introduced to its creators, Signac and Seurat, by his son Lucien.

 

The vast developments in technology and science, which had a great impact on theart of their time, were implemented very differently by the two artists. For Pissarro, this came through the Pointillist technique of juxtaposing small touches of pure colour. For Renoir, this became apparent when depicting objects in the foreground in greater detail, just as the eye sees.

 

This exhibition is a celebration of Renoir and Pissarro’s similarities and differences. Examining what brings the artists together and drives them apart, this unique display delves into what has made these artists epoch-defining figures.