La Place de l'Europe, temps de pluie

Pamela Geller just posted a painting of the French painter Gustave Caillebotte. I love his art. My favorite painting of his is "La Place de l'Europe, temps de pluie," which means "Europe Place on a Rainy Day." It's a depiction of downtown Paris in the rain, 1877. It's posted on the left.

Europe Place was a high rent district in Paris -- the wealthy frequented that section of town.

I love the picture of the office building in the background. Every office had its own fireplace, since they didn't have electricity in 1877. Note the complicated array of chimneys on the roof, each one linked to each apartment or office. When I was in Paris last Fall, I noticed that there are many similar buildings still in operation, still with the arrays of chimneys on the roofs, though the fireplaces are probably no longer used.

I love the details that allow the viewer to see everyday life in Paris in the 19th century. A man and his wife walk along the sidewalk, carrying umbrellas. Umbrellas in those days were reinforced with whale bone, which was the plastic of the 19th century. Whale bone was also used in women's hoop skirts. It must have been challenging to live back then, with horse manure all over the streets and horse-drawn carriages for transportation.

While in Paris, I visited the Louvre and the Musée D'Orsay museums, and saw many famous paintings up close: the Mona Lisa, Whistler's Mother, and Nuit Etoileé (Starry Night) by Vincent Van Gogh, the latter of which was the inspiration for Don Mclean's song "Vincent," also known as "Starry, Starry Night." Unfortunately, I didn't find any of Caillebotte's art. I was hoping to see "Temps de Pluie," but failed to find it. I don't know where the painting is today.