Gathering Potatoes (Recolte de pommes de terre)

Gathering Potatoes (Recolte de pommes de terre) is a powerful print created by French artist Camille Pissarro in 1886, reflecting the master’s sustained interest in the themes of rural labor and peasant life during the late 19th century. The work is classified as an intaglio print, expertly utilizing the complex and expressive combination of drypoint and aquatint. Drypoint involves scratching lines directly into the metal plate, resulting in rich, burred edges, while the aquatint technique provides subtle tonal areas, giving the piece a painterly depth unusual for etchings of the period.

Created between 1876 to 1900, this period marked a notable evolution in Pissarro's style. Moving away from the purely optical concerns of earlier Impressionism, the artist increasingly focused on figures, often depicting them engaged in agricultural work with dignity and realism. Gathering Potatoes illustrates this shift, showing laborers bent low over the ground, methodically harvesting their crop. Pissarro's treatment of the subject avoids sentimentality, instead emphasizing the inherent connection between the workers and the earth they cultivate.

Pissarro's experiments in printmaking, particularly his command of these demanding techniques, were crucial to the development of his vision in the 1880s. The dense black hatching and velvety textures achieved through drypoint, juxtaposed with the atmospheric gray washes of the aquatint, enhance the physical weight and struggle associated with the harvest. This work is a significant example of French graphic arts during this transitionary period. The print is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, making this important historical work accessible through the public domain for researchers and admirers of Pissarro’s lasting contributions to modern art.