Camille Pissarro, born in 1830 on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas (then Danish West Indies, now U.S. Virgin Islands), was a pivotal figure in the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements. Renowned for his contributions to landscape and rural scenes, Pissarro’s art captured the essence of rural life with vibrant colors and expressive brushwork. He played a crucial role in the development of Impressionism, mentoring artists like Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin, and collaborating with luminaries such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. Pissarro’s commitment to capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere influenced his contemporaries and subsequent generations of artists. Despite facing financial struggles and personal challenges, including exile during the Franco-Prussian War, Pissarro remained dedicated to his artistic vision. His legacy endures through his innovative approach to painting and his significant influence on the trajectory of modern art. Pissarro’s works are celebrated for their beauty, depth, and timeless relevance, securing his place as one of the most important artists of the 19th century.

Camille Pissarro Quotes

1. “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.”
— Camille Pissarro

2. “Painting, art in general, enchants me. It is my life. What else matters? When you put all your soul into a work, all that is noble in you, you cannot fail to find a kindred soul who understands you, and you do not need a host of such spirits. Is not that all an artist should wish for?”
— Camille Pissarro

3. “Everything is beautiful, all that matters is to be able to interpret.”
— Camille Pissarro

4. “It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character.”
— Camille Pissarro

5. “It is absurd to look for perfection.”
— Camille Pissarro

6. “Don’t be afraid in nature: one must be bold, at the risk of having been deceived and making mistakes.”
— Camille Pissarro

7. “When you do a thing with your whole soul and everything that is noble within you, you always find your counterpart.”
— Camille Pissarro

8. “All the sorrow, all the bitterness, all the sadness, I forget them and ignore them in the joy of working.”
— Camille Pissarro

9. “The whole world is beautiful, the art is in the seeing.”
— Camille Pissarro

10. “I think when one has talent one finally breaks through; so don’t pass up any opportunity to do some work.”
— Camille Pissarro

11. “We are all the subjects of impressions, and some of use seek to convey the impressions to others. In the art of communicating impressions lies the power of generalizing without losing that logical connection of parts to the whole which satisfies the mind.”
— Camille Pissarro

12. “I regard it as a waste of time to think only of selling: one forgets one’s art and exaggerates one’s value.”
— Camille Pissarro

13. “It is the brushwork of the right value and color which should produce the drawing.”
— Camille Pissarro

14. “At times I come across works of mine which are soundly done and really in my style, and at such moments I find great solace.”
— Camille Pissarro

15. “Paint the essential character of things.”
— Camille Pissarro

16. “Cover the canvas at the first go, then work at it until you see nothing more to add.”
— Camille Pissarro

17. “God takes care of imbeciles, little children and artists.”
— Camille Pissarro

18. “Don’t be afraid of putting on color, refine the work little by little.”
— Camille Pissarro

19. “Watercolour is not especially difficult, but I must warn you to steer clear of those pretty English watercolourists, so skilful and alas so weak, and so often too truthful.”
— Camille Pissarro

20. “One can do such lovely things with so little. Subjects that are too beautiful end by appearing theatrical.”
— Camille Pissarro

21. “I sometimes have a horrible fear of turning up a canvas of mine. I’m always afraid of finding a monster in place of the precious jewels I thought I had put there!”
— Camille Pissarro

22. “I remember that, although I was full of fervour, I didn’t have the slightest inkling, even at forty, of the deeper side to the movement we were pursuing by instinct. It was in the air!”
— Camille Pissarro

23. “It does not astonish me that the critics in London relegate me to the lowest rank. Alas! I fear that they are only too justified!”
— Camille Pissarro

24. “I began to understand my sensations, to know what I wanted, at around the age of forty – but only vaguely.”
— Camille Pissarro

25. “But as I see it, the most corrupt art is the sentimental the art of orange blossoms which make pale women swoon.”
— Camille Pissarro

26. “At fifty, that is in 1880, I formulated the idea of unity, without being able to render it. At sixty, I am beginning to see the possibility of rendering it.”
— Camille Pissarro