Gustave Caillebotte

French, 1848-1894

Étude pour "Le Pont de l'Europe" (Study for "Le Pont de l'Europe")

Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848–1894). Étude pour "Le Pont de l'Europe" (Study for "Le Pont de l'Europe"), 1876. Oil on canvas, 32 3/4 x 48 1/4 inches (83.2 x 122.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Bequest of A. Conger Goodyear, by exchange, 1974 (1974:25).

Public Domain

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

download

Public Domain

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Public Domain

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Étude pour "Le Pont de l'Europe" (Study for "Le Pont de l'Europe"), 1876

Artwork Details

Currently on View

Materials

oil on canvas

Measurements

support: 32 3/4 x 48 1/4 inches (83.18 x 122.56 cm); framed: 41 3/4 x 58 x 5 inches (106.05 x 147.32 x 12.7 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Bequest of A. Conger Goodyear, by exchange, 1974

Accession ID

1974:25

During his time, Gustave Caillebotte was best known as an enthusiastic collector and supporter of the Impressionists. However, he was also an artist in his own right, driven by his fascination with the rapidly transforming landscape of Paris. In this work, the largest of five preparatory renderings for a final painting, Caillebotte took as his subject the recently built bridge spanning the railroad tracks leading to the Saint-Lazare station. Such a subject provided Caillebotte the opportunity to explore the impact of industrialization on the Parisian cityscape and its inhabitants. The artist was interested in not only modern subjects but also the latest means of representation, such as photography. Here, he imitated the dramatic cropping characteristic of this new medium. Additionally, he chose an exaggerated vantage point that is reinforced by the heavy, dramatic lines of the bridge itself and the way in which it marries with its cast shadow, creating an almost abstract composition.

Label from Humble and Human: An Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., February 2–May 26, 2019