Van Gogh Museum exhibits Pissarro prints

A few weeks ago, the Van Gogh Museum announced it had acquired prints by Camille Pissarro? Just after the main exhibition on Hockney and van Gogh opened, a selection of these newly acquired prints went on display as well.

Vincent van Gogh affectionately called Pissarro “père Pissarro”. The Dutch artist admired him; sought his opinion, approval. Van Gogh was also inspired by Pissarro’s art. So these prints are a welcome addition to the museum’s collection, which already contained several works by the Danish-French Impressionist artist.

Examples of several states showing Pissarro experimenting. Van Gogh Museum; complete credits below.

The small exhibition of Pissarro prints is located one floor above the major Hockney-van Gogh exhibition. Yet while visiting, I sadly noticed many museum visitors leaving the museum’s exhibition wing – without spending time with Pissarro’s prints.

This is not just a shame. It is rather odd. Surely, works by an artist who inspired and influenced van Gogh, are worth a look? Are Pissarro’s works, which were greatly admired by van Gogh, not worth a visit?

An elevator, or the stairs, take those truly interested in van Gogh and Pissarro to the room on the third floor. Here, prints are displayed in diffuse light, so as not to damage them.

The selected prints give a good impression of Pissarro developing his etching and printing. There are plenty examples of his experiments and improvements. Pissarro was to become one of the most productive impressionist etchers and printers.

He certainly used unorthodox methods. There are examples of applying coloured paints to plates. There are examples of plates which Pissarro partly sanded. There are examples where he “attacked” the plate with steel brushes!

The Amsterdam Rijksmuseum currently exhibits all its Rembrandts? In its exhibition, visitors see how Rembrandt experimented. Not just with techniques, but also with different kinds of paper. Yet I don’t remember prints showing Rembrandt experimented with Pissarro’s drastic measures!

One thing both artists have in common: etched self-portraits. In the case of Rembrandt, visitors come across many of these. In the case of Pissarro, there is just one plate, though he did use it a few times.

The print of the plate shows Pissarro as an old man. He sports a long beard, reading glasses and a flat cap. It is one of the most famous prints he created and I found it rather endearing.

Unlike with many others, for Pissarro creating etchings and prints was not about  making money. He was far more interested in the printing and etching process and the end results. To him, each print was a unique work of art.

This does not mean this exhibition contains just one single print of one single plate. It does show several states – printed versions – of an image. Like Rembrandt, Pissarro changed an image after a print. He never printed large numbers of the same image.

Many of Pissarro’s techniques and experiments are explained here as well. In display cases in the middle of the room, visitors learn more about tools, changes, results.

So after visiting “Hockney-van Gogh”, please go one floor up. You are offered a unique opportunity to see art Pissarro created, printed, handled himself – until 26th of May 2019.

Image courtesy Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum:
“Bouwvallig huis (La masure), 1879. Aquatint, 1e staat van 7; ets, aquatint en vernis mou, 2e staat van 7; kleurenets, aquatint en vernis mou, 6e staat van 7; ets, aquatint en vernis mou, 7e staat van 7. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam”

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum website

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