Quinquagesima is the last of the three get ready Sundays before Lent. It is roughly fifty days until Easter. The posts for the previous two Sundays can bring us up to speed.
The spiritual life doesn't happen quickly, but rather gradually over time, like the growing of a tree and the ripening of fruit. And so the Church invites us to ease into Lent these three preparatory weeks before the full forty days of Lent called, the Quadragesima.
The spiritual life doesn't happen quickly, but rather gradually over time, like the growing of a tree and the ripening of fruit. And so the Church invites us to ease into Lent these three preparatory weeks before the full forty days of Lent called, the Quadragesima.
Here I'm proposing that each day during Lent, we take a few minutes to reflect on a painting of Camille Pissarro to inform us spiritually. I'm not an artist, not an art expert, not an art critic. As a priest, I'm interested in how, during the Church's Springtime, Pissarro's paintings might help us to grow inwardly: how to become more docile-hearted persons.
Pissarro painted the self-portrait here in 1873, when he was 43 years old. Below, I've offered some key life-themes from Pissarro's life that suggest he knew what it means to live deeply through struggle, loss and suffering, and that this understanding would inform his painting.
Important note: The Salon (begun in 1667) was France's official art exhibition. It is said that from 1748-1890, it was the greatest annual or biennial art event in the western world. If you were a painter, you would want acceptance by the Salon in order to get your work and name known. When Pissarro's first paintings were accepted at the Salon he was identified as a student of the approved artists Carot and Anton Melbye. Subsequent and independent attempts to have paintings accepted were rejected because the new Impressionist technique was seen as too much of a departure from the great formal military, mythical and religious themed paintings of the day. One critic said of Pissarro's new technique, "It is good for wallpaper."
Camille was sent away to a boarding school at age twelve. Can we imagine the loneliness? At age 23, Camille's younger brother, Gustave died.
When the Pissarro family moved to Paris, Camille fell in love with Julie, the Catholic kitchen maid. The family objected and she was sent away. Years later they married, though the synagogue considered the marriage invalid.
Camille was still a young man when his father died. His work (indeed the whole Impressionist movement) was rejected by the Salon. Minette was born, but would die at age four. When Camille's paintings weren't selling he was forced to pawn his possession.
Camille was part of a plan with artist friends to show their new-styled work on the sidelines of the Salon shows, but the plan never materialized.
In 1870, France and Prussia were at war. The Pissarro family, along with many other artists, went into exile in London. Upon returning to France at wars end, they discovered the house had been plundered and all but 40 of the 1500 paintings Camille had left behind had been stolen.
The art dealers with whom Pissarro had arrangements were often disappointing; Camille becoming suspicious of them and the way they did business. When the first Impressionist Exhibition was a failure, Camille suffered a great financial crisis. A second exhibition also failed with few sales and harsh criticisms. At this time, Pissarro was reduced to painting ceramics, blinds and fans. Colleagues dropped out of alternative exhibitions.
Frequently moving from one apartment to another, looking for new subjects to paint and lower rents, he sold paintings at low prices to make ends meet. At age 50, a debilitating eye disease slowed him down. Repeated surgeries offered no long term healing. Eventually Pissarro could no longer work outdoors as the sunlight was blinding.
Following the death of their mother, Camille's sibling rrelationships deteriorated over money. His relationship with Julie was also seriously stressed over finances. Only at age 62 did his paintings begin to sell well. Their son, Felix, died at age 25.
Do any of these kinds of human experiences resonate with you personally? And yet, through all of this, Camille Pissarro said, "All the sorrows, all the bitterness, all the sadness-es, I forget them and ignore them in the joy of working."
And during Lent we will see this joy permeating his canvasses. I might suggest that even (or perhaps especially) his evolved brush-stroke technique suggests a forward and joyful energy.
Important note: The Salon (begun in 1667) was France's official art exhibition. It is said that from 1748-1890, it was the greatest annual or biennial art event in the western world. If you were a painter, you would want acceptance by the Salon in order to get your work and name known. When Pissarro's first paintings were accepted at the Salon he was identified as a student of the approved artists Carot and Anton Melbye. Subsequent and independent attempts to have paintings accepted were rejected because the new Impressionist technique was seen as too much of a departure from the great formal military, mythical and religious themed paintings of the day. One critic said of Pissarro's new technique, "It is good for wallpaper."
Camille was sent away to a boarding school at age twelve. Can we imagine the loneliness? At age 23, Camille's younger brother, Gustave died.
When the Pissarro family moved to Paris, Camille fell in love with Julie, the Catholic kitchen maid. The family objected and she was sent away. Years later they married, though the synagogue considered the marriage invalid.
Camille was still a young man when his father died. His work (indeed the whole Impressionist movement) was rejected by the Salon. Minette was born, but would die at age four. When Camille's paintings weren't selling he was forced to pawn his possession.
Camille was part of a plan with artist friends to show their new-styled work on the sidelines of the Salon shows, but the plan never materialized.
In 1870, France and Prussia were at war. The Pissarro family, along with many other artists, went into exile in London. Upon returning to France at wars end, they discovered the house had been plundered and all but 40 of the 1500 paintings Camille had left behind had been stolen.
The art dealers with whom Pissarro had arrangements were often disappointing; Camille becoming suspicious of them and the way they did business. When the first Impressionist Exhibition was a failure, Camille suffered a great financial crisis. A second exhibition also failed with few sales and harsh criticisms. At this time, Pissarro was reduced to painting ceramics, blinds and fans. Colleagues dropped out of alternative exhibitions.
Frequently moving from one apartment to another, looking for new subjects to paint and lower rents, he sold paintings at low prices to make ends meet. At age 50, a debilitating eye disease slowed him down. Repeated surgeries offered no long term healing. Eventually Pissarro could no longer work outdoors as the sunlight was blinding.
Following the death of their mother, Camille's sibling rrelationships deteriorated over money. His relationship with Julie was also seriously stressed over finances. Only at age 62 did his paintings begin to sell well. Their son, Felix, died at age 25.
Do any of these kinds of human experiences resonate with you personally? And yet, through all of this, Camille Pissarro said, "All the sorrows, all the bitterness, all the sadness-es, I forget them and ignore them in the joy of working."
And during Lent we will see this joy permeating his canvasses. I might suggest that even (or perhaps especially) his evolved brush-stroke technique suggests a forward and joyful energy.
