Camille Pissarro lived in the Paris suburb of Pointoise 1872 to1882. Cabbage Field is one of over 300 landscapes he painted in a very small geographical area. After more than a little rejection and obstruction, this painting was included in the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874.
We may find it difficult to believe, but the art critics who viewed this painting thought the cabbages in the front of the field were vulgar (in poor taste). Perhaps they felt that cabbages were a poor person's food and beneath the dignity of the high-end people who could afford to buy paintings.
I'd suggest the real theme or idea of the painting isn't cabbages, but the early morning fog which envelops the trees and the two workers who have begun their day. We might also consider that Pissarro has intersected very strong horizontal and vertical lines in the laying out of the field and the trees in the foreground and background. This coming together of planes may perhaps cause us to feel very peaceful - almost as if time has come to a standstill with the contemplative figure standing alone.
There are two workers seen here in this painting. The one further away from our view is bent over. The closer one is standing, perhaps stretching her back. Lots of people still work long hours in fields picking or harvesting the fruit and vegetables we eat. Often they are migrants, away from home and following the crops as they ripen. These are people who pick strawberries, cherries, asparagus, peaches, apples, peppers, celery and cabbages. We might cultivate a prayerful awareness of them when we take our meals and become sensitive to their working conditions which are often exhausting, dangerous and difficult.
There are two workers seen here in this painting. The one further away from our view is bent over. The closer one is standing, perhaps stretching her back. Lots of people still work long hours in fields picking or harvesting the fruit and vegetables we eat. Often they are migrants, away from home and following the crops as they ripen. These are people who pick strawberries, cherries, asparagus, peaches, apples, peppers, celery and cabbages. We might cultivate a prayerful awareness of them when we take our meals and become sensitive to their working conditions which are often exhausting, dangerous and difficult.
