Biography

GEORGES HENRI (MANZANA) PISSARRO

1871-1961

Georges-Henri Pissarro, best known as Manzana, was born in Louveciennes on the 22nd of November 1871, the third of seven children of the Impressionist Camille Pissarro.

Like his siblings he was, from an early age, enveloped by the world of painting: not only attributable to his father, but also to many other distinguished artists such as Monet, Cezanne, Renoir and Gaugin, to name a few, who frequented the Pissarro household. Indeed this virtual predestination to the pursuit of a career in art furthered even in his private life – two out of his three wives – Amice Brecy and Blanche Moriset (Roboa) – were recognized artists in their own right.

Between 1889 and 1898 additional exposure to the world of painting and artists was gained via frequent sojourns abroad, principally in London where on and off he spent some seven years. Thus steeped in tradition and subjected to those diverse influences, Manzana turned out to be a prolific and versatile artist – not only working in all the recognized media but progressing beyond in the search for other means of expression.

He was dedicated to this craft in a working life spanning 70 years, outstripping that of his prodigious father Camille who was only active for just more than half a century.

Like all the second generation Pissarro artists, Georges initially worked under an assumed name; “Manzana” being the family of his maternal grandmother. It was not until 1906, out of respect to his by then deceased father Camille, that he employed his own family name Pissarro when signing his work.

It is perhaps an interesting observation on the trials and tribulations suffered by artists of the time that Camille Pissarro exhorted his children to avoid any direct expression of the Pissarro name – at least as far as seeking recognition for their work was concerned – considering his name to be more of a liability than an asset.

Any viewing of Manzana Pissarro’s work is a sensual feast created by the magician artist himself. Thanks to him we have a depiction of daily life sprinkled by glistening iridescent colors.

But brilliance and taste for the extraordinary were not enough to declare Manzana among the “major painters” had it not been that behind this fairy-like layer, his professionalism was apparent. On the contrary; the easier affectation becomes, the harder it is to be a true artist. Whether one considers in him the impressionist, the animalist, orientalist, decorative artist, draughtsman or painter, interest never wanes for whatever his work, it is based on a solid foundation, undeniable craftsmanship. But the question of how he achieved this artistry has to be posed.

The second son of Camille, Georges could not have been at a better school. As a child, adolescent and young man, he only ever had one teacher; the impressionist who, never formal in his approach, did not compromise with himself or his craft. This background is fundamental if we are to understand the artistic development of Georges. At his father’s side he learnt not only to handle brush and pencil but also to observe and to love nature. This particular creed became so ingrained that his entire life span as an artist was dependent upon it.

His impressionist landscapes at the beginning and the end of his career, his exotic fantasies always built on a base of some authentic aspect of reality rather than staged settings, his animal studies, and even his ornamental art, all trace their origin back to nature itself… it is therein that we recognize the son of Camille. No one can accuse Manzana of remaining static at a time of radical upheaval in the world of art when the surge of ideas steered the world of artistic creativity in a multitude of directions.

Given the influence of his background, his style, even when it becomes decorative, is a revitalized and not a posthumous extension of impressionism. It can further be said that Manzana was more sensual than intellectual. Whereas this period was marked by manifold artistic experimentation’s born of intellectual theorizing, Manzana did not concern himself this such, pursuing his path with joyful calm, fond of beautiful golden and bronzed bodies or birds with radiant plumages – he was indifferent to the trends of his time because they did not correspond to his temperament.

What were these trends? This is best discernible in the catalogue of the “Salon d’Automne de 1906”, the very year during which Manzana evolved towards decorative orientalism. At this venue Manzana exhibited eight paintings, eight sketches and engravings, his contribution ranking among the most fruitful seems, judging by the titles, again to focus on the past. But we also discover that here begins his new style know as “decorative”.

Driven both by the animalist and the orientalist in him – two aspects overlapping in his work most of the time – his style manifests affinities with Art Nouveau to which Manzana was introduced in England in the studio of R. Ashbee, a pupil of William Morris.

Although Manzana is an artist of sufficient power and stature to have by and large dispersed with external influences, nonetheless certain instances are noteworthy such as the purchase by his father of some exquisite Japanese engravings. Similarly his familiarity with Gaugin’s works based on native scenes both in Tahiti and Martimque also contributed to the development of his orientalism.

Given these influences it is not surprising that, having turned his subjects into exotic creatures reminiscent of “The 1001 Nights”, he seeks to embellish and render them even more compelling, instilling a sensual glow by the interaction of physical light on the many hues of bronze liberally applied to his work. It should come as no surprise to also see him in evidence in the bourgeois apartments of the time via the design of furniture or decorative objects; chests, screens, sofas, armchairs, glassware, plates, etc. His scope and the extent of his talent were vast and varied.

And artist of his time” We see two generations in him; that of his father and his friends, and his own with his contemporaries. The splendor of his shadow effects and the precision of his outlines are evocative of a Camille Pissarro impressionist, sketcher and engraver.