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26 June 2021

Part A: Virtual Gallery Visit

During my visit to “The Art Institute of Chicago Museum,” I managed to acquire

more knowledge concerning different cultures and different historical contexts in the world.

After entering the museum, I made many observations, and the first impression it had is that

it appeared like a comprehensive museum with arts arranged based on time. It used the

feature of mounting skills on walls for easy exhibition. The museum combined diverse arts in

one collection: design, architecture, sculpture, paintings, and photography. It is an

educational museum representing permanent collections. I was able to move smoothly using

the zoom feature available, and I could have the advantage of looking at every art I could

wish. The reason is that, after taking a zoom on a specific craft, I could still see the actual art

at a close range. Also, the space was very inviting in that I could walk through the corridors

easily with specimens displayed on the walls in their frames. It is a display any historical

museum should adopt because everything is navigable easily, and not much knowledge is

needed to gain access to its contents.

In the process, I paused and took a look at two artworks. They captured my interest,

and I decided to know more in regards to its display and meaning. Firstly, I had a look at the

“Paris Street; Rainy Day.” It is an oil painting by Gustave Caillebotte in the year 18498.

From my point of view, I can say that the artist tried to show impressionism in the painting. It

is a close look at the modernizing city with fashionable Paris couples and the
Haussmannization of the city of Paris. My second impression was the “Saint George Killing

the Dragon” by Bernat Martorell in Spain. In my view, the art uses the international gothic

style to showcase the flow of events in the painting. More focus is on the slope and the

portrait of the battlefield. The place is put on the rising gradient to show the superiority it

has.  

Part B: Critique of Artwork

PARIS STREET; RAINY DAY 

I have chosen the artwork, “Paris Street; Rainy Day,” found in The Art Institute of

Chicago Museum. The painting was made by Gustave Caillebotte, who lived in1800 CE –

1900 CE Period. Caillebotte was born on 21 February 1848 in France (Barrett, 5). During his

period, he was a member and the patron of the ImpressionistImpressionist. He was unique

amongst the members of the group because he made paintings more realistically. Though, he

had many interests in photography. In his artistic life, Caillebotte started studying painting in

1873 and made the first and second Impressionist in 1874 and 1876, respectively. His third

impressionist exhibition was created in 1877, and it is the year that “Paris Street; Rainy Day”

was shown. The art tried to show urban life in the late nineteenth century. The picture has no

economic and political implications. 

Socially, the uniform patterns of buildings tried to show the old-day neighborhood in

Paris. The appearance of the foreground shows two couples walking onwards with cut knees,

and one might imagine a situation where they can step straight through the canvas plane and

continue on their way. It makes the painting appear as a reality. It is a special feature for the

artist in enhancing modern arts. The dress code for the front couples shows the latest fashion.

The husband is wearing a topcoat, mustache, and a bow tie described as modern in 1877. In

class, they are in the middle class, signified by diamond earrings, a veil, and a hat. 
 In the cultural context, the art signifies the importance of marriage during the period.

The paint shows couples holding each other while walking on a rainy day. In terms of style,

Caillebotte is an impressionist and a realist (Fried, 12). His geometric order and placement of

angles accompanied by the asymmetric rhythm of the umbrellas make the artwork unique.

Time is impressed by the color manipulation. He used black and white to show a period in the

old days for this scenario, the 19th century.

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 Works Cited

Barrett, Jonathan. "Urban Planning and Other Laws Revealed in Paintings: Examples from

three cities." Available at SSRN 3677685 (2020): 1-22.

Fried, Michael. "Caillebotte's Impressionism." Representations 66 (1999): 1-51.