The artwork “The Oise at Pontoise in Bad Weather,” created by Camille Pissarro in 1876, is an exemplar of the Impressionist movement. Painted with oil on canvas, this landscape genre piece evokes the mood and atmosphere of a gloomy day. The artwork currently resides in the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, located in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where it continues to be an integral part of their collection.
In the artwork, we observe a scene depicting the Oise River at Pontoise, enveloped in the heaviness of a cloudy day. The sky occupies a large part of the composition, filled with what seems to be dense, moisture-laden clouds. Pissarro’s use of broken color and loose brushwork, characteristic of the Impressionist style, captures the transient light and atmosphere of the setting. In the foreground, alongside the riverbank, figures appear to engage in daily activities, possibly local inhabitants going about their routines. A horse and rider move along a path that leads the viewer’s eye toward a factory in the middle distance, the smokestack of which punctuates the skyline and suggests the encroachment of industrialization on the pastoral landscape. The juxtaposition of natural and industrial elements within this scene is subtle yet thought-provoking, emblematic of the changes France was experiencing during this period. The muted tones and the overall haziness of the artwork contribute to the feeling of inclement weather, a hallmark of Pissarro’s ability to render the sensory experiences of a specific time and place.
