Caillebotte Unframed: New Exhibit Explores the ‘Unknown’ Impressionist

Elongated arms clench against the handle of the wood scrapers — the bodies of three men, kneeling on the floor, are illuminated by muted, sterling silver sunlight that stumbles from an open balcony. 

It’s not the serene, idyllic image most have in mind when thinking of the great French Impressionists — it’s that very spirit of individuality the Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibit, “Gustave Caillebotte: Painting His World” explores.

Throughout the first weeks of September, students enrolled in French classes of any level were expected to tour the exhibition — which opened June 29 and will close Oct. 5 — and engage in discussions or projects surrounding this formerly unknown 19th century French Impressionist and his exhibited works.  

Connor Farnsworth, a first-year political science major, visited the museum for the first time to attend the exhibit. He said he was captured by Caillebotte’s unique subjects and avant-garde depiction of working class people.

“It’s very interesting how the artist managed to make these things that would have otherwise been forgotten in history the forefront of his work,” Farnsworth said.

French students attended a seminar hosted by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, which featured guest lecturer Gloria Groom — art curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, who was part of the team that curated the exhibit.

Groom’s lecture, guided by themes of making and meaning behind the execution of the exhibit, invited students into the process of creating both the gallery itself and the narrative that ties it together.

“She’s so passionate about it,” Farnsworth said. “I could tell that it was a big moment for her to be able to have put on this exhibit.”

For Groom, Caillebotte was no new face. In 1995, she and her colleagues helped bring this underappreciated Impressionist to the public by organizing a catalogue of his works published as “Gustave Caillebotte: Urban Impressionist.” 

Up until the last few decades, Caillebotte was significantly overshadowed by larger Impressionist players, such as Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas. Unlike his contemporaries, Caillebotte was born to a well-off bourgeois family with a life trajectory that diverged from his pupils.

He attended a prestigious all boy’s school in Paris before enrolling in law school, dropping out to serve in the military, eventually attending art school. 

The focus of Caillebotte’s work — mostly athletic men — was largely informed by both his background in predominately male-occupied spaces, according to Gloom. His moderate wealth also allowed him to explore non-conventional subjects since his financial stability was not dependent on his art career.

“I really was impressed by the way that he elevated what was around him as opposed to other artists,” Farnsworth said. “You can tell when they were in it for the money a little more, but he wasn’t.”

That’s not to say Caillebotte wasn’t a professional artist. He was recognized by family and friends as an exceptionally industrious “amateur,” or unpaid professional, all the way up to his death. 

Depicting Caillebotte’s complicated, albeit short-lived life, dying in his mid-forties after a stroke, was no easy project, according to Gloom. It was a process that required intense scholarly research and aesthetic consideration, she said.

The exhibit’s final form, what Gloom described as a “modified panopticon,” creates two spaces, both distinct and fluid. An outer ring walks spectators through Caillebotte’s family portraits, his brother’s home and his retreat from Paris while an inner core displays his rare nudes. 

“At the end of the exhibit, I realized we had gone in a full circle somehow, and I didn’t even realize,” first-year Amelia Bedell said. “I was so immersed in the art.”

The layout and positioning of the paintings are thoughtfully considered in order to form a natural progression through his works, creating aesthetic viewpoints which attract the attention of the viewer deeper into the exhibit.  

“With such a really big piece of art, it’s nice to stand in front of it and feel like you’re in the scene,” Bedell said.

Bedell expressed gratitude for Loyola’s promotion of engaged learning and the school’s corporate partnership with the Art Institute that provides free access to students. 

“I think it’s really important for students to go out and see this art,” Bedell said. “Loyola gives you all the resources – you just have to find the time.”