Since we
have started focusing on the Impressionism era, I have always been drawn to the
unique style of Gustave Caillebotte.
Something that stands out from Caillebotte’s style is the amount of
personal emotion that is thrown into every piece. It seems as if every drastic event that has
taken place in his life has somehow molded his views and emotion for each new
set of paintings. I have decided to
cover the first option since I don’t think there is a crystal clear answer to
this; I say this because I feel like Gustave’s work could be considered a
celebration of modern life, while on the other hand, some aspects of his work
could be considered a critique on how modern life is affecting individuals in
his subject matter.
When
viewing certain pieces of Caillebotte’s, such as Paris Street: A Rainy Day, we can tell that it is depicting more of
an idea of celebration through his subject matter. An interesting note is that in a lot of his
earlier pieces, he focuses on artwork based on the bourgeois, which most
explore the idea of modern life as optimistic.
Within the subject matter, people seem to be slightly content with the
fact that it’s raining and you can see most of the figures are grouped with
another with some minor exceptions.
On the other
hand, you have certain paintings like Pont
de I’Europe, which focuses on a couple individuals who all appear to be
slightly isolated from the rest of the interacting world. While this painting can give the appearance
of celebration and wonder because of the large truss that scales the outside of
the steel barrier, giving a sense of modern life, it has a certain element of
isolation that leaves a more empty feel to the piece. As noticed, you can see the man standing
alone next to the barrier, while there is a dog wondering the streets
alone. This is interesting to take note
of, especially after the critique from the lecture that focuses on how it
created a large public scare from the exposure to rabies. When normal people envision a painting of
upper class bourgeois, they typically wouldn’t imagine seeing a stray dog
within the foreground. Something else
that was mentioned during the lecture that plays an important role is the fact
that the man walking towards the viewer seems to be a few steps ahead of the
woman. It is speculated that he could be
making a proposition to her, perhaps implying prostitution. Making all these characters isolated from one
another really gives a feeling of desolation and uncertainty, in my
opinion. At the same time, the perspective
and overall composition is quite a view, giving this piece a contrasting feel
than what the subject matter is actually depicting.
Throughout
Caillebotte’s work, especially seen in his other pieces like Luncheon and Still Life, his mood changes play a direct impact in how his
emotion and representation of modern life is perceived. These are some of the reasons why I don’t
believe that there is a right answer in regards to some of his pieces emitting
the idea of celebration or critique.
I never thought about how what the people in each painting could specifically represent. Reading your post was interesting because there were elements that I never thought of, like the dog with rabies, or the man's walking ahead of the woman because a sign of prostitution. All of these are very good points.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, I found it an easy read. I agree with you on option one not seeming to have a crystal clear concrete answer. What do you think about the man with his bath images? how do you think these relate to the modern feel? because of the controversy within these depictions of naked men in modern enviornments how do you think this affected Caillebotte as an artist? Why do you think he painted these things? Just some closing thoughts! <3
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