Less known than Monet, Renoir or even Manet, the French painter Gustave Caillebotte nevertheless contributed a lot to the Impressionist movement. The Musée d’Orsay in Paris is paying tribute to him in an exhibition bringing together more than 65 of his works until January 19, 2025.
Planers in a posh apartment, young men from good families practicing water sports or even scenes of bourgeois Parisian life: Gustave Caillebotte captures daily life at the end of the 19th century. Less known than his illustrious colleagues Monet, Renoir or Manet, the impressionist was nevertheless almost ahead of his time, questioning masculinity and modern Art.
“It’s a way for Caillebotte to say to artists in general and to art, ‘this is what modern art should be,’ explains Paul Perrin, curator of the Museum, in the 7:30 p.m. of December 27. Art modern must bear witness to our lives today. He is an artist who brought into impressionism both new images and new ways of seeing the world. His framing and his way of immersing us. in painting were really new at that time, he is daring, even more so than his impressionist friends.”
A masculinity different from the canons of the time
Focused on the theme of the male figure, the exhibition “Caillebotte, painting men” at the Musée d’Orsay begins with the painting “Boat Parts”, considered one of the artist’s masterpieces. This painting represents a young man from a good family rowing in a boat, looking elsewhere, looking thoughtful.
In fact, 70% of the artist’s portraits represent men. Far from the standards of the time which depict courage, honor or self-control, Gustave Caillebotte paints men imbued with emotion, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, pensive or dreamy.
-Subject TV: Jan Haesler
Web adaptation: Myriam Semaani
“Caillebotte, painting men”, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, until January 19, 2025.
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