Painted from his second-floor room in the Grand Hôtel du Louvre, Camille Pissarro captures the bustling activity of a foggy winter day at the Place du Théâtre Franҫais. This composition is part of a larger series of fifteen cityscapes, which together describe turn-of-the-century Paris and its increasing modernity. Here the wide avenue de l'Opéra is filled with carriages, pedestrians, fountains, and landscaping, all of which convey the spectacle of the city and its constant movement.

In this series, Pissarro painted the atmosphere of Paris in varied weather conditions. Here he uses lavenders and pinks in the sky and cobblestone streets and earthy touches of blue and green for the buildings. The artist's loose brushwork causes the colors to blend together, conveying the impression of a fog that blankets the urban landscape.

Excerpt from

Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2015.

• Guggenheim, New York
  Read a biography of Camille Pissarro.

• Famoushotels.org
  Learn more about the Grand Hôtel du Louvre where Pissarro created this painting.