The Path to Les Pouilleux, Pontoise

This 1881 Los Angeles County Museum of Art canvas shows the winding path through the woods at Les Pouilleux, a wooded hillside district near Pontoise that Pissarro explored extensively during his time in the area. The path leading through dappled woodland — with its play of light and shadow, its sense of winding, enclosed space — was a recurring motif for him and for the Barbizon painters before him. The LACMA version is notable for its summery warmth and the sense of movement along the path, which draws the eye into the depth of the woods.

Pissarro builds the woodland scene through varied greens — deep shadow under the trees, warm sunlit patches on the path surface, bright foliage where the canopy opens. The path curves to suggest depth without strict perspective. Brushwork is vigorous and textured, building the leafy complexity through varied marks.