Pissarro, Camille

discussing his progress making sketches for paintings, including at Eragny, lamenting that he was not able to work on them further, as the fine weather will soon come to an end, and so he will have to take up his canvases once again next year, and expressing regret at not being able to meet the Japanese art-dealer Hayashi, as he wishes to discuss getting hold of "papiers Japon", which are very difficult to find at present; he asks "Rodo" about the details of Zola's funeral, so that he might attend if the weather is not too inclement that day, assures him that he will not delay in bringing his pictures of Dieppe to Paris, and describes his trip to Nice, which he finds boring, admitting that he would rather have spent the time painting at Moret; in her postscript, Jeanne Pissarro tells Rodolphe about their father's travel plans and discusses a funeral

5 pages, 8vo (c.180 x 110mm.), Paris (28 place Dauphin) and Eragny-Bazincourt (near Gisors), 3 November 1900 (dated in error "1906") to 21 December 1902, light overall browning



...Je regrette de n'avoir pu accepter l'invitation d'Hayachi en même temps j'avais à lui parler pour des papiers japon introuvable aujourd'hui; j'ai pas mal travaillé pendant mon séjour ici, j'ai pu finir quatre motif, c'est regrettable de ne pouvoir faire encore quelques études, c'est splendides, encore deux ou trois jours tout disparaîtra, heureusement que je puis continuer l'année prochaine mes toiles commencées...

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In the final years of Pissarro's life (he died on 13 November 1903), persistent eye-infections severely limited his ability to paint outdoors in the country. He made a number of pictures of Dieppe, including several of the Church of Saint-Jacques and the harbour (possibly those referred to here), incorporating the pointillist style of his rural landscapes. However, here he explains how he was still able to make sketches for paintings outside, if the weather was splendid. He also mentions painting at Moret, a village on the Seine, near Fontainebleau, which was immortalized by Sisley and Pissarro himself. The art dealer Tadamasa Hayashi (1853-1906) was responsible for introducing traditional Japanese art to France; Pissarro, Monet and others were frequent visitors to his shop at 65 rue de la Victoire. Pissarro's letter about possibly attending the funeral of Emile Zola is dated one day after the event itself, which took place at Montmartre on 5 October 1902, attended by some five thousand people.