Part of the reason I am a photographer is because I was never able to draw perfectly or at least as good as I wanted to. As a child my mom taught me how to paint with watercolor, and I enjoyed the process but didn’t always like how careful you had to be not to accidentally mix colors. In college I learned more about painting and really came to appreciate painting with acrylics (oils were amazing but the drying part didn’t work for me. The combination of colors, the undercoats, and the brush stroke techniques were amazing. I like a wide variety of painters, but photorealism is my favorite style (shocking I know). I especially like the work of painters Wayne Thiebaud and Maynard Dixon.
I visit Chicago a fair amount and go to the Art Institute most every trip, so I have maintained membership for a while. The reciprocal benefits are great, and it is extra incentive to stop in. Because of this I was very familiar with Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street Rainy Day 1877 since it is usually on display as part of their permanent collection. I knew the painting was important, but I didn’t know very much about Caillebotte until I saw the exhibition Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World in July.
Gustave Caillebotte 1848 -1894
Best known for his association with Impressionism, a 19th Century art movement that sought to capture fleeting moments in modern life through experiments with light and color, Caillebotte painted people who were part of his everyday experiences. Because he was independently wealthy he could paint whatever he wanted to because he didn’t have to rely on sales to support himself.
I learned a long time ago to look at paintings from several different distances. Back a few feet to see the entire piece to understand the subject and over all design then up close to see the craftsmanship of the brush strokes. While studying at Arizona State University I had to take a Color Theory course which taught me to understand combination of colors to produce effects. When I started the class I didn’t think I needed it because I predominantly photographed with Black & White film and didn’t understand what I would get out of it. Luckily I had an open mind because by the time I finished the 3 unit course I understood how important the knowledge was. It really deepened my appreciation of painting and design and now that I photograph mostly with digital cameras, I consider color combinations often.
I have always liked Paris Street Rainy Day, and I had examined the brush strokes before, but I had never examined other works by Caillebotte. Seeing other paintings by Caillebotte helped me understand his style. I was in awe of how he worked with a seemingly dull or dark pallet that actually was subtly vibrant. There was so much information in the exhibition that I came away feeling I had a good understanding of Caillebotte as a painter and of his life.
The curation for this exhibition was outstanding. The design of the space, the wall colors, the accompanying text, the selected paintings, and the other artifacts like the photograph of Caillebotte and period specific hats. I am so thankful I saw this exhibition and grateful to the staff that curated and assembled it.
One amazing part of the exhibition was the map of Paris that marked the location of the paintings in relationship to Caillebotte’s residence. This was so well done and so interesting. Maybe it is my Detective past, I love the details and finding clues within images, in this case paintings. When I was looking at the map it hit me how similar Caillebotte was to a documentary photographer. He documented his neighborhood and made paintings of everyday things that could often be overlooked, and he made images that were outstanding. His approach, “the process” really shown through to me. The show was one of the best “non-photo” solo exhibitions I have ever seen, it really exceeded my expectations.
I have said this before that for a photographer to grow they need to see good work. They need to see what an excellent print looks like and they need to examine it up close. Seeing good craftsmanship, no matter the medium, always helps me sharp my photography saw. I am sorry I was delayed with this post but hopefully some of you who read this had a chance to see the exhibition. For everyone I have enclosed the gallery of images below to showcase it.
