Quai au Sable, Chartèves

Lhermitte began making pastels in 1885, the year of the first exhibition of the Société des Pastellistes de France. He rapidly assumed an important position within the group, and his frequent contributions to their exhibitions were regularly praised. Pastels such as this one combine two different ways of handling the medium: a vigorous approach suitable for a sketch—as in the sky—and a precisely rendered style—as in the view of the autumnal trees and the village across the Marne River. His luminescent, atmospheric effects owe a debt to Impressionism.