Cezanne and Pissarro's paintings of Jallais Hill

Cezanne Pissarro

Compare and Contrast -- styles in the same subject, the works of Paul Cezanne and Camille Pissarro

Both the oil depictions of Paul Cezanne of "Jallais Hill: Pontoise 1867" and Camille Pissarro of "Jallais Hill, Pontoise 1879-81" show the same green and rural French local, during the same century, but as envisioned through the eyes of two different men. Occasionally, such a contrasting study of two works might purely highlight the differences of two artist's rendering of the same subject. But of the relationship of Camille Pissarro and Paul Cezanne, a recent article noted, "their artistic relationship lasted longer than some marriages." (AP Wire, 2005) In fact, from the time they met in France in 1861, these two men were said to recognize each other as kindred artistic spirits. This can be seen in the same similar and simple choice of subject of the work, as well as the light-infused palate and lines of both landscapes.

Both men saw themselves as "revolutionaries who wanted to reinvent the staid, controlled Paris art world of the time. For the next two decades, they would often work in tandem, painting side by side, pushing each other to experiment with technique and style." (AP 2005) In such a light, of the two studies of Jallais Hill, Pissarro's main distinction in relationship to his more famous student is perhaps best evidenced through his somewhat lighter palette of his landscape of Jallais Hill. Throughout his career Pissarro remained faithful to painting directly from nature, as did the impressionists before him. However, "Cezanne reacted against the lack of structure in the Impressionist paintings."