Line of Women Bathing

Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) was a key member of the French Impressionists. He helped organize the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 and was the only artist to participate in all eight exhibitions. He was one of the most devoted of his group to printmaking and completed close to 200 prints over a 40-year period. He had constant difficulties selling his prints and most were never editioned during his lifetime. He only printed 20 impressions of Théorie de Baigneuses in 1897, however a number of impressions were printed after his death. Pissarro was an exciting and experimental printmaker and used a variety of techniques, although he was particularly fond of etching. He continually searched for ways to capture the subtle effects of light and atmosphere in his prints.