The Nap

I dreamt of such Saturday!

Gustave Caillebotte was not only a great painter, and supporter of the Impressionists (as a rich man he was supporting them financially); he was also a highly skilled draughtsman and most frequently he used charcoal and pastels for his drawings which were completed to various levels of detail, with some being study sketches and others being fully fledged independent artworks. Perspective was in general a key element to his works. This would always require attention to detail or risk-producing mistakes that even the most amateur of eyes would be able to spot. Here, the perspective is flawless.

As we can see today, Cailebotte was Edward Hopper of his times not only in his famous oil paintings but also in quick pastels. This masterpiece is so timeless, that we actually can't tell if that's 1877 or 1977 or the man in the park last Saturday in 2023.