Caillebotte's Street in Paris, Rain

  Our latest painting is by Gustave Caillebotte titled Street in Paris, Rain.   It is an oil on canvas painted in 1877 and is part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Caillebotte is considered an Impressionists, however his style was a little more realistic.
  Here we see people walking a wet Paris street, umbrella's in hand.  Although not sure, I believe the building in the rear, left, could be what has become the Galeries Lafeyette on the Boulevard Haussmann.  This building was purchased in 1896 to soon become the famous department store, but the building probably existed in 1877. 
   Structurally this painting is very similar to others reviewed.   Here again, the painting is divided exactly in half, with the street light and its shadow as separation.  The right side is almost a portrait of the couple so realistic we could call them by name if we knew them.  But they do not realize we are watching as their attention has been drawn to something we can not see.  Just imagine how this image would change, if they were looking at us!  The whole composition would suddenly become unbalanced, tipping to the right. 
   The left side sets the stage for the street with the triangular building in the rear.  Notice how the right angle line of the building is picked up again on the gentleman's shoulder and arm, pointing down again to the angular line of the building/sidewalk. 
   Much more could be written about this beautiful painting, but I shall leave this to you.   Have you been to Paris, could you have seen this interesting street?   Please let me read your answers.  Write a response and then click on Post.   I wait!
   Make Art a part of your day, its a beautiful thing to do!

Comments

  1. charguthJune 13, 2019 at 5:04 PM

    I am always amazed at the details of the composition and how every part of the painting matters. What ever the couple is looking at, hasn't turned the heads of any of the other figures. I find it interesting how he has spaced the people in the background, and how the cobblestones recede. I notice no signage or advertising on any buildings. I can visualize walking down that street! (But not in a long dress in the rain) Not much carriage traffic! I love Paris scenes.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wayne Thiebaud, Sunset Streets

Image
   In giving title to this landscape, California artist, Wayne Thiebaud not only provides the location, but also the time of day.  Knowing that Thiebaud is a California artist provides the last clue to guessing the probably location.  Smartly, The San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art purchased this painting for its permanent collection in 1986, a year after it was completed.  Sunset Streets is an oil on canvas measuring 48" x 35".      Wayne Thiebaud was born in 1920 and resides in California. He is one of several artists creating a distinct California aesthetic using heavy pigment and exaggerated color.   He is best known for his commonplace objects, figures, and landscapes. of which this is a perfect example.    The composition of this work is amazing.  Right down the center, at a slight tilt is this blue-black stripe, K shape, beginning with a heavy base and capped with a large triangle of sorts.  The painting is a geometry lover's dream, completely dedicated to ever
Read more

Nature Abhors A Vacuum, Helen Frankenthraller

Image
  Today let us look at an acrylic painting on canvas by American artist Helen Frankenthraller (1928-2011).    Nature Abhors a Vacuum is a huge work of art measuring 103" high, 112" wide.  This is over 8 feet high and 9 feet long!  You can stand next to it at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.; and to do so would completely immerse yourself in this huge spread of color.   Nature Abhors a Vacuum was painted in 1973 and is a perfect example of a school of painting Frankenthraller helped develop called color field painting.  Here she stretched raw unprimed canvas on the floor and poured thinned acrylic paint on it.  In doing so she created floating fields of translucent color.  Being that the canvas was raw, the paint stuck to the fabric more like it was dyed, than brushed on. It was an exciting and new process!    Our title, Nature Abhors a Vacuum  immediately indicates a landscape, however I think it a disservice to confine our reaction to so simple an understan
Read more

Childe Hassam "The Avenue in Rain"

Image
    I probably should have saved this for the 4th of July, but that is a little far off and this work is among Childe Hassam's finest.      I have known of Childe Hassam (1859 - 1935) for a very long time, but only recently did Wikimedia straighten me out about the correct way to pronounce his first name.  It seems the "e" is silent; and his last name is pronounced as written, with two syllables.        From what I have read, Hassam was a pretty sharp guy, and possibly a little  arrogant.  He created 3,000 some works of art in his career and lived his entire adult life on the proceeds of their sale.  This is quite remarkable.  Most artists, (at least before 1930) had to supplement their income by teaching, commissioned portraits or careers outside the art field.  But Hassam figured out not only how to market his work, but also what subjects would be popular.  Timing is always a big issue, and he was at the forefront of marketing impressionist paintings to Americans.      
Read more