Location📍 Art Institute of Chicago → Gallery 201

Paris Street; Rainy Day

'Paris Street; Rainy Day' is Gustave Caillebotte’s largest and most ambitious work. Caillebotte captured a busy intersection of Paris that was only a short walk from his home. While he demonstrated his affinity with the Impressionists through the subject of modern urban life, Caillebotte 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. Instead of explicitly painting raindrops, he suggested the atmosphere through the incorporation of newly available retractable umbrellas and the subtle reflections on the wet cobblestones.