Promenade à Rouen: Cours Boieldieu

Promenade à Rouen: Cours Boieldieu is an evocative print created by Camille Pissarro French, 1830-1903, sometime between 1884 and 1896. This print, executed on buff laid paper, utilizes the demanding intaglio techniques of etching and drypoint in black ink. Pissarro, often regarded as a central figure in Impressionism, began shifting his focus in the 1880s from purely rural landscapes to the dynamic, bustling urban environments of modern France. This image centers on the Cours Boieldieu, a prominent thoroughfare in the city of Rouen, capturing the movement and activity of pedestrians engaged in a public promenade.

The combination of etching, which allows for fine, controlled lines, and drypoint, which creates a rich, velvety, burred texture, demonstrates Pissarro’s intensive study of graphic media during this transitional period. While renowned for his painting, the 1880s saw Pissarro dedicate substantial effort to printmaking, using the medium to explore visual effects that relied heavily on strong tonal contrast and linear structure. This approach contrasts with the softer, color-driven effects of his earlier Impressionist canvases. The long span of time associated with the creation of Promenade à Rouen: Cours Boieldieu suggests that Pissarro likely revisited or reworked multiple states of the printing plate to achieve the desired effect.

This work captures the atmosphere of late 19th-century French urban life and documents Pissarro’s exploration of the modern city subject. Today, high-resolution reproductions of this important French masterwork are frequently found in public domain collections, enabling broader study of Pissarro’s varied artistic output. This significant example of European printmaking is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.