Between 1877 and 1878, Gustave Caillebotte, a French painter, art collector, and patron who played a significant role in the development of Impressionism, created a series of paintings depicting swimmers, fishermen, rowers, and canoeists at his family's estate in Yerres. One of these works, the one we present today, was shown at the fourth Impressionist exhibition in 1879 under the title Flat-Bottom Canoes on the Yerres. In this piece, Caillebotte incorporated Monet’s short, broken brushstrokes and Renoir’s bold color palette yet achieved a unique effect: the rowers’ diagonal, zigzag path across the canvas introduces a dynamic rhythm, capturing movement and the passage of time—a nod to Caillebotte’s fascination with photography. As a passionate sailor and boat designer, he may have drawn inspiration from Japanese prints, using a high vantage point to accentuate the instability of the flat-bottomed skiffs, adding a sense of tension to the scene.
P.S. Do you know for what Gustave Caillebotte is known? Paintings of urban Paris of course! Paris Street, Rainy Day is the most famous of them (and most impressive in my opinion). You can buy a premium print reproduction in the DailyArt Shop!
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