The "patriarch" of Impressionism, the only one at all eight exhibitions
The oldest and most respected of the Impressionists, regarded by his fellows as a "patriarch," both teacher and friend. He was the only painter to take part in all eight Impressionist exhibitions, and painted a lifetime of plain countryside, fields, and laboring peasants. Cézanne and Gauguin both took his guidance; generous and tolerant, he held this band of headstrong geniuses together — without him, the loose Impressionist group might never have formed.
The young Cézanne was withdrawn and his painting raw; it was Pissarro who patiently took him out to paint from nature and taught him to observe with bright color. Cézanne remained grateful ever after, calling himself "a pupil of Pissarro." This elder brother of Impressionism, through his kindness, indirectly gave rise to the Cézanne who led on to modern art.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.