Sailing Boats at Argenteuil Gustave Caillebotte Buy Art Prints Now
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Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 14, 2023
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Gustave Caillebotte was a keen sailor in his spare time and would also make use of this theme for many paintings during his career. Argenteuil was a region just outside Paris used by many artists during the impressionist period.

The artist would have been sat on the shoreline for this artwork, looking across towards two small boats with a further several moored up by the side. It is a bright setting which also feels calm due to the river that sweeps past the painter. A bridge stretches right across the canvas in the background, just in front of some rolling hills which one can just about make out. That bridge would have enabled an art historian to precisely pinpoint the location of the artist for this painting.

The style used by Caillebotte in this painting feels a touch more impressionist than from the realism art movement. He would always use a combination of the two but normally sway slightly more on the side of realism. This meant he was never entirely comfortable in the impressionist movement, stylistically, but was close enough in terms of content and themes that he was allowed in. He also greatily benefited the movement from a logistical point of view, helping to organise several of their exhibitions.

You will find many paintings of Argenteuil in the work of Claude Monet. This artist shared many things in common with Caillebotte, including their love of studying items in different conditions as well as also an interest in horticulture. They exchanged opinions on growing fruit and vegetables on several occasions, as well as how best to capture them on canvas.