Haymaking

This 1874 Fitzwilliam canvas shows haymaking — one of the agricultural labor scenes Pissarro pursued consistently throughout the 1870s as part of his commitment to depicting rural working life. In the early years of Impressionism, his insistence on peasant subjects distinguished him from colleagues like Monet who preferred leisure scenes. Haymaking, a communal seasonal activity, was painted by several artists in the Realist and Impressionist traditions, from Millet to Monet, but Pissarro approached it with particular directness, showing labor rather than prettified pastoral. The early 1870s were a formative period for Impressionism; this work was painted the same year as the first Impressionist exhibition.

The haymaking scene is rendered with the developing Impressionist touch of the early 1870s — broken, comma-like strokes that suggest the movement of figures and the texture of cut hay. The palette is warm and naturalistic, with golden summer light unifying figures and field. The handling shows Pissarro developing the outdoor directness of his mature style.