| Vue de toits (Effet de neige) | |
|---|---|
| English:View of rooftops (Effect of snow) | |
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) | |
| Artist | Gustave Caillebotte |
| Year | 1878/1879 |
| Medium | Oil oncanvas |
| Dimensions | 65 cm × 81 cm (25+5⁄8 in × 31+7⁄8 in) |
| Location | Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
Vue de toits (Effet de neige) (English title:View of rooftops (Effect of snow)) is anoil painting executed during the winter of 1878 and 1879 by FrenchimpressionistGustave Caillebotte.[1] Thecanvas measures 81 by 65 centimetres (32 in × 26 in). It was originally gifted by Caillebotte's brother in 1894 to theMusée du Luxembourg,[2] then transferred to theMusée du Louvre in 1929. In 1947, it was moved to theGalerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, which held many impressionist works in France after World War II. In 1986, it was transferred again to theMusée d'Orsay in Paris.[2] The painting is one of the few Caillebotte works that have remained in public view since the artist's death in 1894.[3]
Caillebotte created many paintings showing urban Paris from unexpected perspectives, such as a streetscape seen from indoors inJeune homme à la fenêtre (1875), or the exaggerated perspective ofRue de Paris, temps de pluie (1877).Vue de toits depicts snow-covered rooftops inMontmartre, Paris from a high vantage point, possibly a balcony. Here Caillebotte employs a largely monochromatic palette of grays, adding additional color to highlight building features.[3] This perspective was not at all common in French paintings, and in fact Caillebotte may have been inspired by the photographic works ofHippolyte Bayard.[4]
The painting was first shown at the fourth Impressionist Exhibition held in Paris in 1879, one of 25 works Caillebotte brought to the show. At the time, it did not garner much interest from the crowds, who preferred his portraits and nautical images. However, this image, and one other showing views of rooftops at that show, are now considered important works.[3]
