Pissarro the Late Years

In the 1880s Pissarro moved from his home in Pontoise to Osny, and then on to Eragny, a small village further from Paris.  In 1885, the artist met Paul Signac and Georges Seurat and embraced the Neo-Impressionist technique and experimented with pointillism.  He was captivated by their use of the divisionist technique of optical laws.  Though he was in his mid-fifties by that time he joined the two young artists, along with his son, Lucien.  Pissarro later passed this new technique on to fellow artist Vincent Van Gogh when he arrived in Paris ready to learn the latest in art technique. 

By 1889, Pissarro had become an avid anarchist along with many other writers and artists.  In the 1890s Pissarro discarded the Neo-Impressionist techniques for a technique that allowed him to capture nature as he saw it. 

In the final years of his life, Pissarro divided his time between Paris, Rouen, Le Havre and his home in Eragny.  He continued to create landscapes but he now also created several series of cityscape paintings.  In these paintings he experimented with a variety of lighting and weather effects all while expressing the dynamics of the modern city life.  Many of the paintings from this time are considered among his best. 

Pissarro painted up until his death in Paris on November 13, 1903 at the age of 73.  By the time of his death he had finally begun to gain some public recognition as an artist.