Fans of Caspar David Friedrich’s great masterpiece “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” will be familiar with the imagery of a man gazing out at the world before him. It can be taken as a symbol for being “king of all we survey” - or as a reminder of the astonishing beauty of nature - or, indeed, as a metaphor for the sheer terror we can sometimes feel when looking out at a future that is so uncertain.
I appreciate the way you drew a comparison to the Friedrich. It had not occurred to me and adds a wonderful additional dimension to the Caillebotte painting. Each one, at least to me, feels strongly contemplative: Where do I fit in all this? What is it I want to be?
Hey, I’ve long liked this picture, indeed it was my profile picture here until I changed to my photo.
I think there are many things in it that capture my imagination: as you say, the quality of looking and thinking is intriguing, the guy’s stance, the depiction of the arrondissement, the capture of one moment and a whole emotional state, the sense of the interior of the apartment and the exterior of the street capturing the interiority of the guy and his external presentation, the woman crossing the road (sometimes I wonder whether there is a connection between them, other times not at all), the sense of an historical period which was contemporary to Caillebotte but the past to us. So much.
Thank you for your discussion of it. I really liked it.
Caillebotte is an incredibly great painter. He was overlooked and underestimated for a long time, mainly because he was very rich, which earned him the reputation of a dilettante and amateur. He was also a great patron of other Impressionists and bequeathed his collection of paintings to the French state.
A few years ago, I was very lucky to see his painting "Street in Paris. Rainy Weather" here in Berlin.
Hey, your point about Caillebotte’s wealth and patronage is really helpful. I’ve always felt the guy in the picture is well off, and moves in affluent circles, maybe as the arrondissement was being built he’s actually part of the financing. I mean…who knows…
I see him as looking out the window but not looking down. Perhaps he is looking for a woman he is interested in to come to the balcony. A romantic at heart…
I think of him as pondering the day ahead and enjoying the brightness of the morning. Perhaps he is in a hotel. His formality makes me think he is not in his home.
Maybe he’s watching that cab in the lower left as it proceeds to pick up his lover/sister/mother/friend/. I know that’s what I do if my friend walked all the way down through that hotel and came out on the sidewalk and was waiting for a cab and here comes one now, unless he calls one for her, and that’s it
There's something about windows and contemplative figures that gets the mind musing. Vermeer used the motif and interestingly his windows were always on the left and of course there is Hopper - his empty streets and single figures gazing out of windows echo this be Caillebotte. The artist inviting us into the mind of his subject...
Absolutely. It's a great way to draw us further into the contemplative nature of a painting. And really interesting point about the windows in Vermeer's work. I wonder if there is a specific reason for that.
Whenever I've been in a room with a view like we've seen here it's always been a hotel. And usually I'm traveling for some purpose, most often some sort of competition. So when I imagine myself at that window in that time in the morning, it's going to be the ritual of getting into the "right" headspace. Whether it's been chess, debate, wrestling and the rare wedding or two there's always been a list of things that I've got to do in the correct order.
Looking out at a scene like that means that I'm usually in a state of uncomfortable comfort. I'm not in "my" room but usually the accommodations are nice. Depending on the occasion I'm dressed up and looking nice but looking good is rarely feeling comfortable. If I get it right there's a feeling where I'm alert but not jittery and confident but not arrogant. A view like that is the reminder that it's time to get ready.
That's a really interesting interpretation. I like the idea that this man might also be getting ready for the day ahead of him - whatever challenges may be on the horizon.
Maybe he thinks about nothing. You know how one might want to think even, -and it doesn't happen? Nothing is in focus. Everything seems to be escaping. Everything's fleeting. You want to grasp onto what you see-but do you really see? You really saw when you were little-and you miss it, standing there, not quite little anymore.
Later you'll remember-and you'll understand, that you did see something. It was not that fleeting, after all. You still carry it. Glimpses of it.
More than that-you were still quite little.
Maybe you still are.
I'm rambling, of course-thank you, great post and painting
That's a great point. It's certainly possible that all we are seeing here is a rare moment when the man's thought really are on nothing..
After all, I'm sure we have all had times when someone may ask us "what are you thinking" - and we do not even fully know how to answer the question, because it feels like we had no thoughts at all.
Quite possibly, yes.. Hopper was actually often reluctant to cite influences from European art (he usually only expressed admiration for the likes of Rembrandt and Goya).
But in his early days as an artist, he studied a lot of the impressionists. So I'm sure he would have come to be familiar with Caillebotte at that time.
So beautiful, I love it. I think the red chair suggests he was sitting down until he saw someone or something that drew his attention and made him go closer. Perhaps he is waiting for someone. Thank you for this beautiful art today!
I love this painting, the rich reds on the inside are wonderful. It’s so interesting when looking at it I feel like a voyeur in the back of the room watching him. His pose is the thing that makes it so hard to know what he’s thinking. The feet wide apart give him a solid stance, but both hands in the pockets can go from resignation, to hopeful, to conflicted. What a beautiful piece
What’s interesting is even in my own art I’ve found the paintings that are the most popular are the ones where the main figure has no face. It’s easier to put your story on them, they could be anyone you know or even you.
I appreciate the way you drew a comparison to the Friedrich. It had not occurred to me and adds a wonderful additional dimension to the Caillebotte painting. Each one, at least to me, feels strongly contemplative: Where do I fit in all this? What is it I want to be?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. And good to know it sparked a few questions for you too.
Hey, I’ve long liked this picture, indeed it was my profile picture here until I changed to my photo.
I think there are many things in it that capture my imagination: as you say, the quality of looking and thinking is intriguing, the guy’s stance, the depiction of the arrondissement, the capture of one moment and a whole emotional state, the sense of the interior of the apartment and the exterior of the street capturing the interiority of the guy and his external presentation, the woman crossing the road (sometimes I wonder whether there is a connection between them, other times not at all), the sense of an historical period which was contemporary to Caillebotte but the past to us. So much.
Thank you for your discussion of it. I really liked it.
That's great to know. And really glad you enjoyed the article.
Thank you for sharing your reflections here too.
Caillebotte is an incredibly great painter. He was overlooked and underestimated for a long time, mainly because he was very rich, which earned him the reputation of a dilettante and amateur. He was also a great patron of other Impressionists and bequeathed his collection of paintings to the French state.
A few years ago, I was very lucky to see his painting "Street in Paris. Rainy Weather" here in Berlin.
Hey, your point about Caillebotte’s wealth and patronage is really helpful. I’ve always felt the guy in the picture is well off, and moves in affluent circles, maybe as the arrondissement was being built he’s actually part of the financing. I mean…who knows…
I see him as looking out the window but not looking down. Perhaps he is looking for a woman he is interested in to come to the balcony. A romantic at heart…
Bringing a bit of a romantic outlook to art interpretation is always great.
Thanks for sharing!
I think of him as pondering the day ahead and enjoying the brightness of the morning. Perhaps he is in a hotel. His formality makes me think he is not in his home.
Maybe he’s watching that cab in the lower left as it proceeds to pick up his lover/sister/mother/friend/. I know that’s what I do if my friend walked all the way down through that hotel and came out on the sidewalk and was waiting for a cab and here comes one now, unless he calls one for her, and that’s it
Interesting interpretation. I like that idea of him watching to wave goodbye one last time.
There's something about windows and contemplative figures that gets the mind musing. Vermeer used the motif and interestingly his windows were always on the left and of course there is Hopper - his empty streets and single figures gazing out of windows echo this be Caillebotte. The artist inviting us into the mind of his subject...
Absolutely. It's a great way to draw us further into the contemplative nature of a painting. And really interesting point about the windows in Vermeer's work. I wonder if there is a specific reason for that.
I'm not aware of one George - maybe it was simply where the window was in his studio.
Whenever I've been in a room with a view like we've seen here it's always been a hotel. And usually I'm traveling for some purpose, most often some sort of competition. So when I imagine myself at that window in that time in the morning, it's going to be the ritual of getting into the "right" headspace. Whether it's been chess, debate, wrestling and the rare wedding or two there's always been a list of things that I've got to do in the correct order.
Looking out at a scene like that means that I'm usually in a state of uncomfortable comfort. I'm not in "my" room but usually the accommodations are nice. Depending on the occasion I'm dressed up and looking nice but looking good is rarely feeling comfortable. If I get it right there's a feeling where I'm alert but not jittery and confident but not arrogant. A view like that is the reminder that it's time to get ready.
That's a really interesting interpretation. I like the idea that this man might also be getting ready for the day ahead of him - whatever challenges may be on the horizon.
Hey, I dig your identification of ‘alert but not jittery and confident but not arrogant’ and headspace.
And, until now, I hadn’t thought of the guy getting ready for his day…but I get it. Yet one more way of seeing the picture.
Maybe he thinks about nothing. You know how one might want to think even, -and it doesn't happen? Nothing is in focus. Everything seems to be escaping. Everything's fleeting. You want to grasp onto what you see-but do you really see? You really saw when you were little-and you miss it, standing there, not quite little anymore.
Later you'll remember-and you'll understand, that you did see something. It was not that fleeting, after all. You still carry it. Glimpses of it.
More than that-you were still quite little.
Maybe you still are.
I'm rambling, of course-thank you, great post and painting
That's a great point. It's certainly possible that all we are seeing here is a rare moment when the man's thought really are on nothing..
After all, I'm sure we have all had times when someone may ask us "what are you thinking" - and we do not even fully know how to answer the question, because it feels like we had no thoughts at all.
Caillebotte must have been an influence on Edward Hopper.
Quite possibly, yes.. Hopper was actually often reluctant to cite influences from European art (he usually only expressed admiration for the likes of Rembrandt and Goya).
But in his early days as an artist, he studied a lot of the impressionists. So I'm sure he would have come to be familiar with Caillebotte at that time.
I like that painting
So beautiful, I love it. I think the red chair suggests he was sitting down until he saw someone or something that drew his attention and made him go closer. Perhaps he is waiting for someone. Thank you for this beautiful art today!
I love this painting, the rich reds on the inside are wonderful. It’s so interesting when looking at it I feel like a voyeur in the back of the room watching him. His pose is the thing that makes it so hard to know what he’s thinking. The feet wide apart give him a solid stance, but both hands in the pockets can go from resignation, to hopeful, to conflicted. What a beautiful piece
He possibly is thinking about going out and enjoying the day.
What’s interesting is even in my own art I’ve found the paintings that are the most popular are the ones where the main figure has no face. It’s easier to put your story on them, they could be anyone you know or even you.