In the 19th Century, France experienced some influential art movements which led to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Impressionists favored independent exhibitions, instead of government -controlled institution. Post Impressionism was the title bestowed upon the people who opposed the Impressionists. Camille Pissarro's The Goose Girl at Montfoutcault and Vincent Van Gogh's The Rocks are perfect comparisons of post-impressionists and impressionists. We will discuss the important figures of the two movements and each of their contributions before directly analyzing the two paintings. …show more content…
Pissarro went through some hard times such as having his family life be affected by the Franco Prussian War of 1870-71. He was able to bounce back and was able to get back in contact with his artist friends Cezanne, Monet, and Eduoard Manet just to name a few. Pissarro along with 15 artists formed a group with the goal of forming an alternative to the Salon. Although they did get together and held many exhibitions over many years, they began to drift apart. Pissarro was an important impressionist in his early years in life; he would grow to adapt during the Post-Impressionist era. This would lead to him going back to some of his older themes and even exploring new techniques. The piece that will be discussed, Pissarro's The Goose Girl at Montfoucault, came at a unique time since it was painted close to the time that he went back to his older ways, but still maintained the impressionist style. Although it is impossible to know for sure, Pissarro may have titled it, The Goose Girl at Montfaucault due to the German fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm. Putting that aside, one can see the impressionist style in the painting from the realistic proportions of the geese to the girl or the girl to the nearby foliage; the detail in the lighting with the usage of brighter colors are also great indicators of the influence of the impressionist