French: Rue de Paris, temps de pluie
Paris Street in Rainy Weather
Join me in celebrating Gustave Caillebotte’s birthday by viewing a video produced by the Art Institute of Chicago featuring the extraordinary restoration of his most famous painting “Paris Street; Rainy Day.”
ChasingART 
This is fantastic. I love the painting. As a writing workshop instructor, I’ve used Caillebotte’s paintings as a story prompt.
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I am delighted that you stopped by and look forward to an ongoing conversation. This is one of my favourite Gustave Caillebotte’s paintings because it reminds me of Vancouver in the rain.
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I just realized I have a print of this sitting on my bookshelf!! It looked so familiar 🙂 How delightful to learn about this artist, his work and the ‘art’ of restoration.
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I am with you on this. This is a favourite painting but until I did a little research for this post, I knew absolutely nothing about the painter. Now, I know that he came from a wealthy Parisian family and was on the path to becoming a lawyer. He did finish his law studies. Alas, the Franco-Prussian was was a disruption but when it was over, Gustave pursued artistic studies and met up with writers like Emile Zola and artists Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet. He loved art and the art world took him in. His generous nature was truly inspiring. He used his wealth to financially support artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro in their early “unknown” days. He was a strong advocate in convincing the Louvre to buy Manet’s controversial painting, Olympia. So many stories hidden in the folds of history. This is why I love blogging – it gives me glimpse of the narrative. Thank you for stopping by – always enjoy our conversations.
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That was amazing!!
Happy Birthday, Gustave!
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I love celebrating birthdays! I have always know about this painting – just never knew the history behind it and never realized that it was Gustave’s creation. The best thing about blogging is that there is so much to explore and learn. Hugs!
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Agree about the learning!
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Amazing! Thank you for sharing. What talent and expertise has gone into this restoration. I really enjoyed the video that you included. The painting comes so much more alive after the cleaning and restoration is finished. Truly enjoyable!
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I loved that short video, which made it look as if the restoration was done if a few days. I imagine that the work was done over a period of weeks. I loved how the restorer provided insight into her work. For example, the smoothness when she first applied the cotton swab. I think the artist would be pleased to know that he painting continues to delight us many years after his passing.
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Yes, this was a short video, but it gave a good summary of the work that was done! Thank you for sharing.k
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What a marvellous process and result. And how confident one would have to be to work on such a treasure!
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My thoughts exactly. I would be a bundle of nerves, my hands would shake and heart pound if I was in charge of the restoration. Every time I look at this painting, I feel the coolness of a rainy afternoon.
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A perfect way to celebrate his birthday! 😀 Thank you for sharing this video and it was fascinating to see the transformation of the painting, as if a layer of fog had lifted! What lovely and joyful dedication by the restorer!
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I can only imagine the hours of work and the care taken to not make a mistake. One little slip YIKES!! Isn’t is wonderful that they documented the restoration so that we could all get a glimpse into what it takes to preserve and protect our national treasures. I agree – a joyful dedication by the restorer.
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Ein sehr interessanter Bericht über die Restaurierung dieses wunderbare Bild einer regnerischen Strasse in Paris. Danke fürs zeigen und liebe Grüsse. Ernst
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Ich finde es faszinierend, dass Gemälde eine längere Lebensdauer haben als ihre Schöpfer. Die stundenlangen Restaurierungsarbeiten haben sich gelohnt.
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