The Boulevard Montmartre at Night

The view of the nocturnal boulevard Montmartre comes from a series of 14 paintings that show the road in changing times of day and season and with different weather conditions. It is the only painting that shows the street at night and was created in 1897. Pissarro had already devoted himself to the Impressionist country life when he was working on his cityscapes. He had the desire for development. Away from the landscapes and the painting in the open air, which until then determined the impressionism. Pissarro moved to a hotel overlooking the boulevard, the Parisian life and the hustle and bustle. The artist was thrilled to be able to overlook the street almost completely and to look at the carriages and people from a bird's-eye view. As night falls, the facades blur into blue-gray areas that merge into the dark sky with little contour. By day, magnificent buildings with fine architecture, the houses are reduced to a flat row of houses at night. People are reduced to gray lines and the flow of motion can only be guessed. Shop windows cast a yellow light on empty and lonely ways. The street shimmers wet in the light. The French artist masterfully captured this play of light on the rain-soaked street and is a special element of the painting. Almost like a river, the boulevard forms the center of the painting, which meanders through the liquid light of the lanterns. People and businesses become marginalized.

The heart of Impressionism was the natural light. The night was rarely a motive. Camille Pissarro plays at night with the light sources that illuminate the scene and have different origins. On the horizon above the boulevard, a patch of light illuminates the sky. A milky glow, like a star, illuminates the sky and breaks through the dark and heavy colors above the city. The nocturnal impressionism was rarely shown in this perfect depiction.

Pissarro always chose the same angle for the series. The road leads from the right-hand edge of the picture in a slight curve up to the left side of the picture. During the day modern life with its facets, the night view shows the second face of the magnificent city. The scenery looks lonely, but at the same time exudes urban beauty and aesthetics.

To open up a motif about a series was not a new element in painting until then. Already Monet and Manet have found the approach to a scene through painting series. Scenes captured in the bustling life of the city. However, Pissarro's study of the Boulevard Montmartre took a step into the modern age and paved the way for photography.