Last year in my art history class at Cambridge, I discovered an Impressionist painter that I had never heard of before -- Gustave Caillebotte. What a revelation! And what a delight to discover that an exhibition of his works was being displayed at the Musée des Impressionisms at Giverny this spring. Founded by Daniel Terra in 1992, originally as a museum of the American artists who followed Monet to Giverny, it is now dedicated to art in the Impressionist style, whether French or foreign, modern or historical. The purpose-built museum is a lovely structure with a pleasant garden just down the street from Monet's home.
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| Hôtel Baudy, Giverny |
Chantal Burns' friend, Barbara Stickler, took me out there and we made a lovely day of it. A train from Gare Saint-Lazare, then a cab and we found ourselves on the doorstep in time for an early lunch before the worst of the crowds arrived. We ate at the Hôtel Baudy, a beautiful old inn with a magical garden out back.
Caillebotte is an interesting figure. Born eight years after Monet, he came from a well-to-do family and quickly developed an interest in painting. He was a friend of many of the Impressionists and supported several of them financially, purchasing their canvases or art supplies and on a few occasions even paying the rent. He financed several of the annual impressionist exhibitions in the late 1870's and early 1880's. Because of his wealth, he had little need to sell his own paintings so he is seldom seen in museums; more than 70% of his work remains in the hands of his descendants. He was passionate about sailboats, loved to race them and was an amateur naval architect, building boats that usually won. He moved to a country home near Giverny in 1888 and became a dedicated gardener, regularly exchanging letters on the subject with Monet. He painted his garden frequently and encouraged Monet to do the same. Tragically, he died in 1894 at the age of 46.
Here's an early painting on the streets of Paris. Workers are painting a sign on a storefront. He did another of workers scrapping wooden floors. Although the Impressionists loved to paint out of doors, few bothered with people actually doing work. And these subjects guaranteed that Caillebotte's paintings would not be accepted at the annual Salon -- who, after all, would want to see mere workmen in a painting?
I particularly like this one, painted off the coast of Normandy. Caillebotte's painting is an interesting mix of realism and impressionism, sometimes even in the same work. Here is a painting that is purely impressionist. I love the sense of movement.
This photo cannot do justice to this painting. The way Caillebotte treats the water in the foreground is simply amazing. The color of the oars not only is nice contrast to the colors of the water and landscape, but also gives you a sense of how hot it is. And the angles all suggest movement.
Here are three wonderful landscapes.
I was also delighted to make the acquaintance this spring of a Hungarian Impressionist painter named Ferenczy. There was an exhibit of masterpieces from the Budapest Museum of Art on loan to the Musée du Luxembourg while the museum in Budapest is undergoing renovations. I think the light in this picture of a woman painting in the sunshine is absolutely breathtaking (see below).
Finally, there was another surprise at the Luxembourg: this little Monet that I had never seen before.
Although not frequently a museum hound at home, I have found some of my most enchanting moments here in France looking at paintings.
