Old Mark's Field, Coldharbour, Surrey
- Artist: Lucien Pissarro
- Date: 1915
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the “Old Mark’s Field, Coldharbour, Surrey” by Lucien Pissarro. Painted in 1915, it’s an oil on canvas that captures the quiet, almost melancholy mood of the English countryside at the end of the First World War. Pissarro leans into his late‑career style, with loose, expressive brushwork that still retains the subtle light he mastered in his earlier Impressionist studies.
The composition focuses on a patch of grass that stretches toward a distant line of hedges, the sky a muted, hazy blue that hints at an overcast afternoon. The colors are earthy—rich greens, gentle ochres, and a touch of bruised purple in the shadows—creating a sense of depth without resorting to dramatic contrasts.
What’s striking is the way Pissarro blends the immediacy of a field with a quiet, almost contemplative atmosphere. The brushstrokes are rhythmic, almost musical, suggesting the subtle sway of grass in a gentle breeze. It’s a snapshot of time, a quiet moment where the ordinary scene becomes a quiet meditation on light and land.
Overall, this painting exemplifies Pissarro’s mature approach: a harmonious blend of landscape, light, and texture that invites viewers to pause and reflect on the pastoral beauty that surrounds us.
See it in person
Old Mark's Field, Coldharbour, Surrey hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
