Gustave Caillebotte, Paris 1848 - Gennevilliers 1894
Selbstporträt - Self-portrait (1892)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Caillebotte was a member and patron of the group of artists known as the Impressionists and he is best known for his paintings of urban life in Paris in the 19th century. Among his friends were the painters Manet, Monet, Renoir and Sisley. Caillebotte rejected the academic conventions of the Salon where paintings with classical and European historical subjects were favoured but, as he had inherited a fortune, he was not commited to earn his living by painting in this traditional style. Caillebotte favored portraying the everyday and working-class life as well as Parisian street scenes and one of his most famous paintings „ Paris Street: Rainy Weather“ shows a couple under an umbrella, walking down a Parisian street on a dreary day. Unlike the brighter palettes of Impressionist painters like Degas, Renoir, and Monet, Caillebotte’s work is distinguished by his somber tones and often the use of plunging perspectives.
Caillebotte had a large collection of photos which induced him to paint some of his everyday scenes at an unsual perspecive, as if seen through a camera lens from a higher point and as if people and objects were zoomed to the viewer. A novelty which caused irritation to traditional viewers but makes his paintings attractive to today‘s viewers.
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