Camille Pissarro

Pissarro referred to his monotypes as 'dessins imprimés', or printed drawings, and, like Degas, he revelled in the experimentation and freedom the monotype technique allows. From letters written to his son Lucien, we know that Pissarro worked first in black in order to define composition and tonal values, later heightening the composition with colour (Letters, pp. 339-40). In the present example, the black ink was applied and then wiped to create the tree. The pointed end of a brush was used to define the two bathers. Whilst the majority of the colour appears to be printed, there are areas where the pigment remains proud of the surface, suggesting that the artist continued working on the sheet after the plate was printed.

The present work relates directly to a painted version of Baigneuse debout et Baigneuse agenouillée (The Nikon Television Corporation collection, Japan). In common with other instances where Pissarro re-interpreted subjects in different media, the present monotype displays great spontaneity with brisk application of pigment and bold colour.