Fall is one of my favorite times of year: the leaves turn colors and the weather turns cool, bringing with it the promise of the holidays soon to come. One thing I enjoy most is taking a walk around my neighborhood to appreciate the fall scenery. I especially love to take in all of the beautiful colors this season has to offer. Red orange, spring green, golden yellow, deep magenta, and navy blue are just a few that might come to mind.
If the weather is too cool for a walk, a trip to the Museum is definitely the next best thing. The DMA has such a wonderful collection of paintings that capture the beauty of fall. One artist who was greatly inspired by nature in every season is Camille Pissarro. He loved to paint outdoors, sketching every detail he observed and then adding his own color to the picture.
Camille Pissarro, Apple Harvest, 1888, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund, 1955.17.M
Pissarro’s Apple Harvest shows a fun seasonal activity that takes place in the French countryside. Normandy, the province where this scene occurs, is well known for its apples. Many of the region’s most famous dishes include apples: apple brandy, apple tarts, and mussels with apples and cream are some examples of Normandy’s cuisine. Pissarro chose his colors very carefully to convey the colors of the countryside. There are warm hues of orange and red, bright tones of green, and cool shades of blue. His painting is a perfect reminder of all there is to enjoy about the beauty of the season.
Camille Pissarro, The Road to Versailles, Louveciennes: Morning Frost, 1871, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, 1985.R.42
Pissarro was also well known for his landscape paintings, in which he strove to capture his chosen scene with great attention to detail and honesty. He found great beauty in nature, carefully observing his surroundings. One of his paintings in the Museum’s Reves Collection depicts a morning walk in the fall, just before the season turns into winter. There is snow on the ground, but it is beginning to melt in the morning sun. Pissarro loved to take humble scenes, like a morning walk, and make them into something special.
Take some inspiration from Pissarro this season. Take time to observe your surroundings—there is so much beauty to be seen at this time of year.
Samantha Evans is the McDermott Graduate Intern for Family and Access Teaching at the DMA.
