The Art of Advent: Day 17

It is day seventeen of advent (can you believe how fast December is going?) and we have a brilliant piece from Katie Bono all about one her favourite festive paintings The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning by Camille Pissarro. Read all about just why Katie loves this painting quite so much - she highlights the power of art on our emotions and how it create the most incredible sense of nostalgia which is especially lovely at this time of year.

This winter painting is one of my personal favourites that always lends me a bit of the Christmas spirit. The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning is a time capsule of Paris in 1897 and is part of a series of 14 paintings that Pissarro did of the view from his window after moving back to the city. There is a warmth and vibrancy implicit in the work despite its cool tones; people are grouped together on the sidewalks and even the chimneys seem to be convening up on the skyline like the residents below. Pissarro manages to upend winter desolation in favour of depicting a sense of connection among the city’s residents. There is unity in the formal aspects that translates to a harmonious ideal of Paris. The work was painted amidst the industrial revolution and its vibrancy is suggestive of the influx of citizens into Paris. The wide boulevard and elegant streetlamp advertise the newly Haussmannized capital as almost a utopia. The open composition is indicative of the window through which Pissarro himself looked down at the scene and gives a sense of life beyond the limits of the frame.

The painterly brushwork connotes a spontaneous scene, as if Pissarro is bringing us to the moment in real time. The dynamism in the work couples with the rapid, impressionist brushstrokes to create a sense of movement on the boulevard, giving an ephemeral sense of snow just before it melts. The gestural quality of the brushwork is in keeping with the other works in the series and is quite unique to Pissarro’s own personal style, reminding the viewer that we are looking at the scene through the artist’s eyes.

I have had the print of this in my room for a few years now (although my print has purple overtones for some reason), so for me looking at it is like being home for the holidays. It really is the perfect city winter: cold but lively, snow before the slush sets in, and just enough crowds on the street. You can see the real version in the Met, or you can just buy yourself a purple-tinted print so that you don’t realise what colour the painting actually is for six years. Christmas spirit guaranteed for both options.