Light and Atmosphere
Morisot was captivated by the dramatic atmospheric scenes he witnessed during his journey up the Orinoco River. His diary is full of eloquent descriptions of “magical atmospheres” and “fleeting and marvelous spectacles,” and these paintings and drawings of sunsets and lighting effects mirror his words beautifully. On the 13th of June Morisot wrote: “Unfortunately, I cannot paint everything that calls my attention and in particular the fantastic effects at night under the light of the camp fire, but I fill my eyes with that, I take it all in, and with the help of a few lines that I make blindly on a blank piece of paper, I hope to reconstruct later some of these impressive scenes, so moving for a painter.”