08 Skiffs – Caillebotte

Painting of men boating on a river on a summer day by Gustave Caillebotte
Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848 – 1894), Skiffs, 1877, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1985.64.6

This sunny, warm painting is a welcome relief in this miserable March. Skiffs is one in a series of young men boating by Gustave Caillebotte who was a lesser known Impressionist painter until a beautiful 2015 exhibition at the National Gallery.

We’ll find out about his relationship with his fellow Impressionists, his killer art collection and how he turns up in one of Renoir’s most famous paintings.

Painting of a lively group of young people having lunch in an outdoor space
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881. Oil on canvas, 51 1/4×69 1/8 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1923

I’d like to thank the staff at the Phillips Collection for their help with this episode.


SHOW NOTES

“A Long Look” theme is “Ascension” by Ron Gelinas
youtu.be/jGEdNSNkZoo

Episode theme is “Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15 – V. Happiness by Robert Schumann performed by Donald Betts. https://musopen.org/music/2326-scenes-from-childhood-op-15/

Skiffs information
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.66404.html

Introduction to the Exhibition—Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter’s Eye

Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter’s Eye, Exhibition Catalog
https://shop.nga.gov/item/645727p/gustave-caillebotte-the-painter-s-eye-exhibition-catalog/1.html

Renoir and Friends: Luncheon of the Boating Party
https://www.amazon.com/Renoir-Friends-Luncheon-Boating-Party/dp/191128200X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520629125&sr=8-1&keywords=renoir+and+friends+phillips

Slow Art Day
http://www.slowartday.com