Van Gogh Museum - View from a Balcony

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View from a Balcony, 1880

Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)

Oil on Canvas, 65.6 x 54.9 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam*

Gustave Caillebotte looked out over the Boulevard Hausmann in Paris through the decorative wrought-iron curls of his balcony. His depiction of this view is highly original. The focus is on the railing, while the passing vehicles and advertising column with posters are only vague blotches in the background. The palette is subtle: black contrasting with numerous shades of grey. For this painting, Caillebotte was almost certainly inspired by Japanese prints, which commonly include unexpected vantage points and interruptions. Like his contemporaries Edgar Degas and Vincent van Gogh, Caillebotte was fascinated by the surprising Japanese compositions and incorporated their distinctive visual elements in his own work.

* Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, purchased with the financial support of the BankGiro Lottery, the Rembrandt Association (supported by Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds), the VSB Foundation, the Mondriaan Foundation and the Vincent van Gogh Foundation.

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Impressionism

Monet, Mills in the Westzijderveld near Zaandam

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Urban impressionist

This painting is part of a series of city views from the artist’s balcony. The decorative railing recurs several times, though not usually as main motif. Caillebotte has been called an ‘urban Impressionist’. He was a leading member of the French Impressionists , yet he fell into oblivion.
Like his contemporaries Edgar Degas and Vincent van Gogh, Caillebotte was fascinated by the surprising Japanese compositions and incorporated their distinctive visual elements in his own work.

Patron

In contrast to many of his artist friends, Caillebotte was well-to-do. Consequently, he assumed the role of patron and regularly bought paintings by his colleagues. He did not have to depend on exhibiting his work for his livelihood and thus remained unknown to the general public.
After Caillebotte’s early death – he was 46 years old – the majority of his work remained in the possession of his family. Paintings by the artist only began to appear on the market in the second half of the 20th century, and the ‘forgotten’ Impressionist finally received the recognition he richly deserves.

Urban impressionist
Patron