Paris Street; Rainy Day

Notes from the museum

This monumental painting is Gustave Caillebotte’s largest, most ambitious work and has been a visitor favorite since the Art Institute acquired it in 1964, well before the artist’s contributions to the Impressionist movement were widely recognized. Caillebotte captured a busy intersection of Paris that was only a short walk from his home. In fact, his paintings of Paris rarely depict areas beyond his familiar neighborhoods. Caillebotte demonstrated his affinity with the Impressionists through his subject of modern urban life but approached these settings with a more Realist technique. The dramatic cropping of the scene may have been inspired by the newly popularized medium of photography; the two central figures seem to be walking straight into the viewer as something captures their attention outside of the frame. At the time, artists rarely attempted to depict people in motion; Caillebotte carefully placed each of the background figures to evoke the feeling of bustling city streets. When he started exhibiting with the Impressionists, Caillebotte also focused on portraying the atmosphere of his scenes; here, instead of explicitly painting raindrops to indicate the weather, he suggests it through the incorporation of newly available retractable umbrellas and the subtle reflections on the wet cobblestones.

Text: Art Institute of Chicago (open access). Our full story for this work is coming soon.

Slow Look

1. The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
2. The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
3. The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
4. One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
5. The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?

About Gustave Caillebotte

Gustave Caillebotte was a French painter who was a member and patron of the Impressionists, although he painted in a more realistic manner than many others in the group. Caillebotte was known for his early interest in photography as an art form. Because of his family's wealth, he was a patron of many of his fellow Impressionists. Upon his death, his bequeathed collection of their works became the central collection of Impressionism for the French Republic, despite considerable controversy.

Painter profile →