During the last decade of the nineteenth century, as the call for a more imaginative, suggestive art overtook the naturalistic approach of previous decades, many avant-garde painters moved to the Breton province of Pont-Aven, inspired by its rugged coastal landscape and mystical religious practices. Loiseau arrived in Pont-Aven for the first time in May of 1890, contributing to the birth of the “Pont Aven School.” He befriended the myriad of artists in residence there, most importantly Paul Gauguin, as well as Maxime Maufra and Emile Bernard. Loiseau developed a 'cross-hatched' technique, called en treillis (latticework), which gave his paintings the supple, almost touchable quality for which he is known.

Although Loiseau was living in Moret-sur-Loing and summering in Pont-Aven after 1897, he made regular trips to his hometown of Pontoise to paint the local landscape. Located in the countryside along the Oise river, Pontoise provided Loiseau with an ideal setting to follow his plein-air leanings. In the present work, Loiseau plays with the perspective created by a row of tall trees along the riverbank. Their colonnade-like forms, bordered on one side by the crystalline water and on the other by a road and fenced yards, accentuate the sense of space within the composition. Colorful houses dot the riverbank and a blue smokestack stands in the distance, giving life and activity to the scene. The work is painted in the clear, translucent tones that set Loiseau apart from many of his contemporaries. It was once part of the collection of Durand-Ruel, a well-known patron and dealer of the impressionists, who placed Loiseau under contract in 1897. It was this arrangement that provided Loiseau with the financial independence that made his frequent trips to paint out-of-doors possible.

Collections
Oglethorpe Museum, Atlanta, GA
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, UK
Musée d’Art et d’histoire de Cholet, France
Château Musée de Dieppe
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid
Musée d’Orsay
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen
Chi-Mei Museum, Taiwan