Caillebotte Rainy Day Analysis

Artists Gustave Caillebotte and Clide Hassam are rewound painters who spent their careers depicting scenes of everyday life in various levels of impressionism. Combined, the two provide for an excellent comparison of how specific techniques used for their works elicit different emotions and interpretations. Specifically, Caillebotte’s Paris Street: Rainy Day and Hassam’s A Rainy Day of Fifth Avenue capture similar scenarios in roughly an analogous time frame, allowing viewers to focus strictly on the differing techniques used. . From their perspective to color, they are able to evoke feelings of clarity and uncertainty respectfully An important note to mention prior to analyzing the works is to mention that neither artist captured the scene better; neither painting can be objectively considered superior. Rather, the …show more content…
Caillebotte’s use of structured line is intended to represent a realistic image, in many of his works, he preferred to represent life as it was and not what it should be (Biography, 2016). His use of contour lines once again provides accurate depth. He also uses line to divide the painting into its important subjects, (the couple on the right of the pole) and everyone else. Other uses of lines include the vertical lines of the umbrellas that provide balance with other horizontal lines. The horizontal lines of the sidewalks for example give stability to the center of the painting. Conversely, Hassam’s use of line is chaotic and asymmetrical. His purpose in doing so is to convey an active scene. This can be seen in the tree branches and the people in the back of the image. Their detail is spread out to such an extent that the viewer’s attention is drawn to the images closer to them. Furthermore, the subjects in the front themselves are composed of chaotic lines, giving the viewer the sensation that they are not in a still