Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) was a French painter known for the Impressionistic style of painting. He was born in 1848 in an upper-class Parisian family in Paris, France.

Despite being a trained engineer, he took interest in painting and studied under Leon Bonnat and later entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He fought in the Franco-Prussian war from 1870 to 1871.

A Rich Painter

Caillebotte met Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet in 1874 and exhibited his works at the Impressionist exhibition of 1876. He became the chief organizer, promoter and financial supporter of the Impressionist exhibitions for the next six years.

As an art collector, he used his wealth for purchasing works by other Impressionist painters such as Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley and Berthe Morisot.

Rejection by the Salon

Though Caillebotte was an artist of remarkable abilities, he failed to garner popularity not only when he was alive but also posthumously. Caillebotte’s earliest famous painting was ‘The Floor Scrappers‘ (1875) and it depicted the urban working class.

Though the painting displayed Caillebotte’s capabilities in the artistic arena, the jury rejected its entry into the 1875 Salon. The reason for the rejection of his entry was his vulgar choice of subject. The failure of his painting at the 1875 Salon made him join the Impressionists.

Caillebotte participated in the second Impressionist exhibition in 1876 with several other paintings, including ‘The Floor Scrapers’.

Focus on Urban Environment

It was the time when Emperor Napoleon III had commissioned the sweeping renovation of Paris. Hence, Caillebotte focuses on depicting the modern urban environment of the city which was populated by the bourgeois and the working class.

Caillebotte’s large canvasses like Le Pont de l’Europe (The Europe Bridge) (1876) and his other famous painting ‘Paris Street: Rainy Day‘, show the urban landscape of that period of time.

Caillebotte’s two other paintings ‘View of Roofs (Snow Effect)‘ (1878) and ‘The Boulevard Viewed From Above (1880) show the influence of Japanese prints on his compositions.

His well-known Paintings

Caillebotte painted a variety of subjects, rural landscapes, boating scenes, still-lifes and portraits. Many of his works made in the latter part of his life revolved around the scenes surrounding his property at Petit-Gennervillers on the banks of the Seine near Argenteuil.

The two well-known paintings such as ‘Sailing boats at Argenteuil‘ (1888) and ‘The Plain of Genneviliers from the Hills of Argenteuil’ (1888). The rise of contemporary photography influenced Caillebotte’s works and as a result, he produced snapshots of everyday life with ‘cropped figures and expanded perspectives. 

Unsold Paintings

Though Caillebotte played an important role in the Impressionist movement and was a financial supporter of the exhibitions, Caillebotte was not well known among the artistic fraternity and art lovers.

As he was financially well-to-do and hence he did not have to depend on income from the sale of his paintings, Caillebotte exhibited his paintings less frequently. Because very few of his paintings were in the public gaze and they rarely entered public collections.

Most of Caillebotte’s works were held back without seeing circulation among the public until his death.

Better Known As a Benefector

In his will, Caillebotte bestowed his collection of paintings and artworks to the French State and these collections became the cornerstone of impressionist art in French national museums.

In fact, Caillebotte’s role as an art benefactor overshadowed his accomplishments as a gifted painter. Recent art historians have reevaluated his paintings as substantially innovative works in the middle of Realism, Impressionism and post-impressionism.

Caillebotte’s paintings now occupy many major museums and galleries in New York, Paris, Boston and many others. His paintings collect impressively high sums; his ‘Garden of the Little Gennevilliers sold for $1.3 million and Boat Moored on the Seine at Argenteuil sold for $6.7 million.