Sunday 9 July 2017

Louveciennes, Pissaro and the Aqueduct


Camille Pissarro spend some time in Louveciennes around 1871 and painted some famous scenes many times, as was his habit, seeking the different influences of season, time of day and light variation on his subject.  In 1871 Louveciennes was a rural town on the outskirts of Paris. Today is has been captured as a dormitory suburb. 













 His rural scene of the road to Versailles has been transformed into a high volume traffic by-pass of the town. His painting of the scene today may not be quite so sought after.

















His streetscapes closer to the centre of town are, however, a bit more recognisable, if you ignore the electricity cables, street lights and the car. 

Louveciennes is also (mildly) famous for the Aqueduct de Louveciennes, which was built in the 17th century as part of the works designed to supply sufficient water to support the fountains and lakes in the gardens at Versailles.   This aqueduct appeared in the back ground to some of Pissaro's paintings. Today it is out of service, but still looks as good as new.


There are more pictures of the Aqueduct here.

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