MASTERPIECES FROM THE BEN URI COLLECTION
LUCIEN PISSARRO (1863-1944)
THE PAGODA, KEW
1919 Oil on canvas
Signed (lower right): [monogram] 1919
LUCIEN PISSARRO
Lucien Pissarro’s The Pagoda, Kew (circa early 20th century) exemplifies the artist’s distinctive synthesis of Impressionist technique and Post-Impressionist structure, filtered through an English landscape sensibility Painted during his residence in the United Kingdom, where he settled permanently in 1890, the work capture
s the iconic Great Pagoda in Kew Gardens an 18th-century architectural folly imbued with chinoiserie motifs set within a richly textured natural environment Pissarro’s approach reflects his dual heritage: the influence of his father, Camille Pissarro, a founding figure of French Impressionism, and his own involvement with the Camden Town Group and later, the short-lived Fitzroy Street Group, both of which advocated for a more intimate and localized visual language. In The Pagoda, Kew, Pissarro employs a delicate palette and short, broken brushstrokes to render the filtered light and seasonal foliage that frame the vertical structure of the pagoda The emphasis on atmospheric effect and temporal specificity recalls the Impressionist concern with capturing fleeting moments, while the compositional stability and harmonious tonality reveal a mature, restrained modernism Moreover, the choice of subject a carefully curated botanical setting reflects contemporary interests in globalism, horticultural science, and imperial spectacle, positioning the work at the intersection of aesthetic pleasure and sociocultural commentary
Painter Lucien Pissarro was born into a Jewish family in Paris, France on 20 February 1863, the eldest son of Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro; his only child was the painter Orovida Pissarro. He grew up in France, mixing frequently with artists from his father’s circle and was particularly inspired by the work of Signac and
Seurat. In 1886, he exhibited at the last of the Impressionist exhibitions and from then on (until 1894) showed with the Salon des Indépendants He first visited Britain in 1870–71 during the Franco Prussian War, returning to France in 1883–84, then settling permanently in London in 1890 In 1894, together with his wife, Esther (1870-1951, née Bensusan), a wood-engraver, designer, and printer, he established the publishing house, Éragny Press, based in Epping Forest in Essex, and named after the French village, where the family had lived since the 1880s This enabled him to explore and experiment with printmaking and book design, though he was primarily considered a landscape painter In 1906 he joined the New English Art Club, where he exhibited landscapes of the British countryside including Surrey, Dorset, and Devon. In 1907 he was invited by Walter Sickert to join the Fitzroy Street Group, and later with Sickert went on to become a co-founder of the Camden Town Group In 1919, he formed the short-lived Monarro Group, aiming to show artists inspired by Monet and his father Camille Pissarro From 1922 to 1937 he painted regularly in the south of France, also travelling to Derbyshire, south Wales, and Essex and between 1934 and 1944 exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy He died in Hewood, Dorset, England on 10 July 1944, bequeathing his collection to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford He is also represented in numerous other UK public collections including the Courtauld, the Government Art Collection, Leeds Art Gallery, the University of Hull and the William Morris Gallery.
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COLLECTION: https://benuri.org/collections/
BURU: https://www.buru.org.uk/
