Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers
Original title: Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers
kurzbeschreibung
Camille Pissarro painted 'Fächermontierung: Die Kohlpflückerinnen' in gouache on silk around 1878–79. The horizontal fan format presents peasant women harvesting vegetables in a rural setting.
Description
In the foreground, several women in traditional dress with aprons and headscarves gather vegetables. Behind them stretches a rural view with trees and a village on the horizon. A cloudy sky and a palette dominated by blues and greens create a calm effect. The layout is horizontally elongated: the figures occupy the lower area, the background the upper. The colours appear soft and pastel-like, typical of gouache on silk.
Context
During this period, Pissarro turned to decorative forms such as fans, which were prized in Impressionist circles in the 1870s. The motif of female farm workers reflects his interest in peasant subjects, developed in Pontoise and its surroundings. The fan was likely made as a commission or gift, suggesting private use. The dating around 1878–79 falls in the time of the third Impressionist exhibition, in which Pissarro took part.
Impact
The pastel-coloured gouache on silk produces a delicate, almost fragile look that harmonises with the horizontal fan shape. Gentle colour transitions and a loose brushstroke convey a quiet, idyllic mood that aesthetically elevates the daily grind of rural labour.
Technique
Gouache on silk – an unusual combination that allows a light, fluid painting method. The paint covers the silk only thinly, so that the brilliance of the support shines through. The horizontal fan mounting with its typical folds shapes the composition and demands a precise adaptation of the motifs to the format.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)