When art enthusiasts think of French Impressionism, names like Monet, Degas, and Renoir typically come to mind as the movement's most celebrated figures. However, one artist who deserves greater recognition is finally receiving renewed attention through a major exhibition that sheds new light on his unique contributions to the art world.
Gustave Caillebotte, arguably the least known among the Impressionist painters, is the focus of a groundbreaking exhibition currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. "Gustave Caillebotte is probably the least-known of the Impressionist painters," explains Gloria Groom, co-curator of the show. "I think he's still not completely integrated into that story. He's still kind of the outsider."
The Art Institute of Chicago has long been home to Caillebotte's most recognizable work, "Paris Street - Rainy Day," painted in 1877. This iconic painting, part of the museum's Charles H. and Mary F. Worcester Collection, holds a special place in both art history and popular culture. "People, they may not know Gustave Caillebotte's name, but if you say the painting with the umbrellas, they all know it," Groom notes. The painting even played a supporting role in the beloved 1986 movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
However, Groom emphasizes that there's much more depth to the painting than meets the eye. "You start thinking, okay, it's all about this bourgeois couple walking down the street. But it's not, because there's a painter with a ladder, the charwoman who's opening her umbrella, all these different types of people," she explains. This attention to diverse social classes and urban life was characteristic of Caillebotte's approach to capturing modern Parisian society.
When "Paris Street - Rainy Day" was temporarily loaned out for exhibitions, the museum experienced an unexpected response from visitors. "We got letters," Groom recalls. "But you can't be part of an exhibition to be a partner if you don't lend the major work for the exhibition. So, we made that sacrifice. And now we're celebrating its return." This reaction demonstrates the painting's enduring popularity and emotional connection with museum-goers.
The current exhibition presents Caillebotte's work from a revolutionary new perspective, highlighting an aspect of his art that sets him apart from his Impressionist contemporaries. While his peers focused on painting ballerinas and pastoral landscapes, Caillebotte's canvases concentrated on depicting men to a degree that was highly unusual for the time period. "He's looking at the men in his life, he's looking at the relationships. But he's not just doing, you know, macho masculinity. He's doing men in interiors, men on sofas, men looking out a window, kind of turning the tables in many ways," Groom explains.
This unconventional focus on male subjects often put Caillebotte at odds with the French art establishment of his era. His painting "The Floor Scrapers" (Les Raboteurs de parquet), created in 1875, was rejected from a prestigious art exhibition, likely due to its depiction of working-class men in a realistic, unglamorous setting. The painting, now housed in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, shows shirtless workers scraping wooden floors, presenting a raw view of manual labor that challenged artistic conventions of the time.
Another work that caused controversy was Caillebotte's male nude painting, which was relegated to a small, barely accessible room at an exhibition. "It's a male nude, but not an Adonis," Groom describes. "It's shocking even today. It's a beautiful, beautiful painting, and it's sensuous. Let's face it, it's sensuous!" This candid assessment highlights how Caillebotte's work continues to provoke strong reactions more than a century after its creation.
The exhibition itself has not been without controversy in its journey from Paris to Chicago. When the show opened in Paris last year under the title "Painting Men," some critics condemned what they perceived as the exhibition's insinuation about Caillebotte's sexuality. The artist never married but spent the final decade of his life with a female companion, leaving questions about his personal life open to interpretation and speculation.
Upon moving to Chicago, the exhibition received a new title - "Painting His World" - which has drawn criticism from other quarters. Some observers argue that this change minimizes the artist's distinctive focus on male subjects and dilutes the exhibition's original thesis. The title change reflects the ongoing debate about how to interpret and present Caillebotte's work in contemporary contexts.
Gloria Groom takes a diplomatic approach to these interpretative debates, emphasizing the primacy of the artwork itself. "The paintings are the paintings, and that's what we're interested in. We try to open it up to all kinds of interpretations, and people will see what they want to see," she states. This philosophy allows viewers to engage with Caillebotte's work on their own terms while acknowledging the multiple layers of meaning present in his art.
Tragically, Gustave Caillebotte died in 1894 at the young age of 45, cutting short what had already proven to be a remarkable artistic career. Despite his relatively brief life, he left behind a substantial body of work that continues to captivate and perplex viewers. His paintings offer a unique window into late 19th-century Parisian life, capturing both its elegance and its grittier realities with equal skill and attention.
More than a century after his death, Caillebotte's beguiling artistry continues to inspire new interpretations and discoveries. The current exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, running through October 5, represents an important opportunity for American audiences to encounter this underappreciated master's work in depth. Visitors can explore not only the famous "Paris Street - Rainy Day" but also lesser-known works that reveal the full scope of Caillebotte's artistic vision and his unique contribution to the Impressionist movement.
