Caillebotte

As the march of time continues past wars and the like, factories and mass production comes in full swing. As more machines are produced to take the jobs that manual labor workers once had, less interactions take place among people. The world had become more desolate in the eyes of a particular artist—Gustave Caillebotte. I believe his works are both a celebration and critique of modern life. He had a rough life in the 1870s due to the loss of three close family members: his father in ’74, brother in ’76, and mother in ’78. With these troublesome events and grieving, Caillebotte’s view on the world changed. It helped him distinguish the collective effects of the blossoming society in which he lived. For this reason, recurring themes of remoteness and melancholies are consistent throughout most of his paintings. An example that displays these notions is his painting Pont de l’Europe, done in 1876.

In this painting, we find the characteristics of a modern society. Although the bridge structure is taking up a large portion of the scene, there is a vast landscape that stretches beyond it. There are only a handful of people in the composition, none of which seem to have any distinct contact. Immediately through this representation, there is no evident communal goal. It is an extremely spacious setting with the few people spread out in it.
            The color palette that Caillebotte uses is also quite somber. He tends to stay on the darker scale, sticking to dull blues and grays. These colors might also have a connection with the isolation that is felt through his works.

The man on the right who is peering over the bridge (which is also a symbol of modernity because of its factory-like mechanic structure) is a very important figure that contributes much to the piece. The addition of this character creates an apprehension not found elsewhere in the painting. His placement on the bridge, pose, and his gaze all emit a downhearted emotion. He stares into the distance on the other side of the bridge, with the metal beams acting as a barrier. Tension is created because this man cannot obtain the luxuries found on the other side. He is caged behind the bridge, trapped and alone.

There is a dog in the foreground that can be interpreted to have an important role in the painting as well. The bourgeoisie class had acquired a characteristic fear of the rabies virus during this time because of its apparent spreading and assumption that it came from poor peoples’ pets in the first half of the century. This dog therefore embodies that fear. It is a stray that is wandering the streets of the modern society depicted with no restraint.

The style and elements that Caillebotte chose to utilize all contribute to the painting’s sense of isolation and disheartenments: the vast spacious area with scant people, dog’s symbolization of fear, the lack of interaction, and the man’s longing gaze over the bridge.