Camille Pissarro

This gorgeously illustrated, major reassessment of Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) makes a persuasive case for his pivotal role as a technical innovator in the Impressionist movement. Art historian and curator Joachim Pissarro, the artist's great-grandson, interprets the French painter's career as a quest for autonomy embracing constantly evolving techniques in an effort to capture ever-changing reality. Born in the Virgin Islands to a French family descended from Portuguese Marranos (Jews forcibly converted to Christianity who practiced their original faith in secret), Pissarro became a free-thinking anarchist and married Julie Vellay, a servant in his parents' Parisian home. The author's masterful, loving analysis of the paintings argues forcefully against interpreting them as a reflection of Pissarro's political outlook, as modern critics have done. Lovers of French Impressionism will want to own this book, which includes many works never before reproduced. BOMC divided selection. (Nov.)