In the Fields at Ennery (Dans les champs, a Ennery)

In the Fields at Ennery (Dans les champs, a Ennery), created by Camille Pissarro in 1875, is a significant example of the French Impressionist master’s dedication to printmaking. This intimate landscape, captured near his adopted home in Pontoise, showcases Pissarro’s skillful handling of the drypoint technique. Drypoint involves scratching an image directly into a zinc or copper plate using a sharp needle, yielding a soft, velvety line quality due to the burr of displaced metal. The resulting print captures the immediate, sketch-like feeling that Pissarro often sought in his graphic works.

The creation date of 1875 places this work firmly within the major creative phase of the Impressionist movement, a period spanning roughly from 1851 to 1875. Pissarro was deeply invested in depicting rural life and the agricultural cycle, documenting the relationship between the peasant laborer and the cultivated landscape. Unlike his larger canvases, which often dealt with complex arrangements of color and light, this work emphasizes line and atmosphere, depicting the open fields and perhaps distant farm structures with economical, rapidly executed marks.

Classified as a print, the specific impression held by the National Gallery of Art is a posthumous rendering. While the original plate was executed by Pissarro, this version was pulled after the artist's death in 1903, testifying to the enduring value and integrity of his original design. Pissarro’s experiments with etching and drypoint allowed him to refine his compositions and understand form through stark chiaroscuro. This technical mastery has ensured the enduring presence of his graphic arts. Today, high-quality prints of many French masterworks from this vital period are often available through public domain initiatives, providing global access for research and appreciation of Pissarro’s profound contribution to 19th-century art.