Gustave
Caillebotte was a French painter and supporter of Impressionist artists during
the Impressionist period. He is known
for the ‘Caillebotte Bequest’, which left his collection of Impressionist and
modern paintings with the French state upon his death in 1894. As an artist, his paintings show the
modernity of France: the bourgeoisie (upper level middle class) at leisure, the
Haussmanization of Paris, modern technology, and an sense of isolation and
loneliness that reflected his own personal life, but it can also be said to
reflect some of the affects of the new modernization and urbanization of
France. Some of his paintings are an
interesting mix of both a celebration and a critique of modernization.
A painting
that reflects these concepts of celebration and critique of modernization in
France during the 1870’s is the Pont
l’Europe, done in 1876 (Challenge of the A-G p. 138), oil on canvas. The subject matter shows the pedestrians walking
across a bridge. At first the painting
seems to celebrate modernization. The
viewer can see the rebuilt street and buildings, which were damaged during the
destruction of the Franco-Prussian war and the Commune uprising. The widened streets show the Haussmanization
of France, which was a modernization of Paris streets prior to the war. The bridge supports look as if they are made
of steel beams, which was a fairly new technology that started to be mass produced
in the mid 19th century.
Electric street lamps can be seen in the background and adds to the
sense of mondernization.
Pont de l’Europe has a mood of
isolation, which is reinforced by the spacing and the perspective, the color
palette, and the characteristics of the figures. Caillebotte’s unique perspective angles the
ground up and divides the space. By
angling the sidewalk, Caillebotte divides the scene between the people on the
sidewalk, which now takes up most of the picture plane, and the street and the
background, which get pushed to the side of the canvas. He’s created this open space between the
figures that seems to isolate them from one another. The cool and somber color palette adds to the
feeling of isolation of the figures and the harsh light creates deep shadows
which lend itself to the more somber mood.
The figures themselves seem to be caught up in their own thoughts (such
as the figure on the right). There is
very little interaction between the figures in the foreground or those in the
background. The man and woman on the
left side of the canvas seem to have a casual interaction taking place, but the
man’s placement in front of the woman and a couple of steps away from her,
creates an awkward distance between them, and there are no feelings of intimacy
in their interaction.
The sense
of isolation, which can be found in many of Caillebotte’s paintings, can be
seen as a critique of modernization.
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution it brought a huge migration
of people from the rural areas into industrialized urban areas. The influx of people seeking jobs in the
factories, mines, and mechanical manufacturing often got paid very little and
had to work long hours in order to support their families (Stokstad
p.962). This caused isolation with some
of the population who worked long hours, different shifts, and people who had
little leisure time, unlike the flanners, who were rich upper class that
pursued a life of leisure.
Other
critiques of modernization that Caillebotte is conveying in his painting are
the advent of disease and prostitution.
The dog, which I associate positive feeling towards and who seemed the
happiest of all the figures, is a symbol of the bourgeoisie’s fear of the
rabies disease. Because the dog seems to
be wandering the streets without a human companion and seems to be a mutt, the
bourgeoisie, or the upper class, would have seen the dog as a threat for
disease, and would have been terrorized by the sight of the dog. The man in the top hat talking to the woman
over his shoulder may in fact be propositioning her. Her fine clothes and because she is
unescorted walking in public, her reputation is questionable and it’s possible
she could be a courtesan, or prostitute.
Modernization while causing an influx in labor, also brought wealth to
some of the bourgeoisie and more time for leisure activities, including
prostitution.
While
Caillebotte’s work did show the modernization of France with the technology,
the improvements of the streets and buildings, his work also shows the
critiques of modernization. He
successfully conveys the mood of isolation of people, through his use of
perspective and space, somber colors, and deep shadows. He also shows the other realities of modern
day life with the fear of disease, which can be spread more rapidly as people
bring diseased pets from other areas, and the seedier results of wealth, such
as prostitution, on some of the middle class.
Thank you for mentioning the advent of disease and prostitution which came along with the modernization of France. I did not think that it was something that was evident in Caillebotte's painting "Pont de l’Europe", but after reading your post, I see how it can be seen in the wandering dog and in the man talking with the lady in expensive clothes. Along with the change in the city's construction we can also see the change in the type of people that lived or moved to France.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting in how you discussed the painting and broke down its content. The hidden messages in this work tell the viewer more about the state of the minds of the bourgeoisie. I like that you discussed the criticism of the modern life and how that can be interpreted as a celebration rather than a revelation of its ills. Also it was interesting to think about the fears and superstitions people faced.
ReplyDeleteI have to totally agree with Lesik, I never really though as much about the change of people by viewing these paintings as much as the physical changes that took place as the times changed. I would have never even considered it, without reading your post. Thank you!
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