This is the city as a living organism. Late in his life, Pissarro moved to a hotel overlooking the grand boulevards of Paris. He was suffering from an eye infection that kept him indoors, so he turned his window into a lens. He painted the same street at different times of day and in different weather.
The night version is the most electric, literally. He captured the glow of the new electric streetlights and the movement of the carriages. The figures are just flickers of paint. The city is a river of light and speed. This is a radical departure from his rural landscapes. It shows his ability to adapt to the modern world.
This painting records the vibe of urban life, ignoring the traditional requirements of a static site. This painting is about the energy. It's about the feeling of being in the middle of a world that never sleeps. It remains one of the greatest records of the Belle Epoque.
Bibliography
Thomson, Richard. Camille Pissarro. Impressionism, Landscape and Rural Culture. New Amsterdam Books, 1990.
National Gallery of Art. Pissarro's Cityscapes. Digital Resources, 2024.
Brodskaya, Nathalia. Camille Pissarro. Parkstone International, 2012.