The Seine at Bougival

Pissarro was the oldest of the Impressionists, and influences from the previous generation of artists, including Courbet and Millet, are more conspicuous in his work. This painting is one Pissarro produced before the Impressionists' first group exhibition, which was held in 1874. The rather heavy feel of the trees and hill on the right show signs of the influence of an older style. The trees on the island on the left (Croissy Island), the white house, and the flow of the Seine are rendered in a style that is a harbinger of the Impressionist vision, with its exploration of the effects of light and shadow. Bougival is a village on the left bank of the Seine, west of Paris. The bridge in the distance connects the island in the center with the village of Croissy on the opposite shore. Compared to La Grenouillere, a popular recreation area on the Seine at that time, this site still offered a tranquil combination of nature and human activity.