Gustave Caillebotte - Rue Halévy, Blick von einem Balkon (1877)

 

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In three paintings, Gustave Caillebotte focused on the imposing residential buildings around the Paris Opera. From this perspective, the balcony plants obstruct the unobstructed view, compelling the viewer to sharpen their gaze. The cold, misty morning light blends with the silvery-gray of the zinc roofs, creating a symphony in shades of blue-violet.

During the era known as the Second Empire (1852–1870) under Napoleon III's rule, Paris underwent significant transformations. Led by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, the prefect of the Seine department, the old city center composed of narrow medieval streets was replaced by a network of wide boulevards and avenues. Numerous new squares, gardens, and parks brought air and light into the city. This generosity provided space for leisure activities and relaxation everywhere. Countless bars and cafes, theaters, and department stores gave the modernized capital an opulence that was reflected in the unified streetscape as well as the meticulously restored historic monuments. By 1870, Paris was considered the most progressive metropolis in the world and the center of modern painting.

Like many of his colleagues, Gustave Caillebotte was fascinated by the effects of "Haussmannization," which he documented in numerous compositions. Invited by fellow painters Henri Rouart and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, he joined the Impressionist movement in 1876, a movement that had developed around Claude Monet in the early 1860s. The following year, he gained attention with his large-scale masterpiece "Paris Street, Rainy Day" (1877, The Art Institute of Chicago) – a photorealistic, monumental view of the new Paris. While he had taken the viewpoint of a passerby on the street there, the painting "Rue Halévy, View from a Balcony," created in the same year, belongs to a series of works in which he viewed the Paris city center from a much elevated location. For the composition, Caillebotte set up his easel on the top floor of a building on Rue La Fayette, overlooking the Opera, which is recognizable in the upper half of the painting with its embellishment of a golden statue group. In the foreground, the lush green branches of the balcony plants serve as a repoussoir, forming a striking contrast to the violet haze enveloping the imposing buildings along the boulevards. The houses in the foreground capture the typical symmetrical design of Haussmann's creamy sandstone facades, while the other buildings merge into an almost flat unity – an effect reminiscent of the influence of Japanese woodblock prints. Unlike "Paris Street, Rainy Day," there are no anecdotal details here. Caillebotte avoided any narrative elements in favor of an atmospheric portrayal with a backdrop-like character. While the artist still often employed academic composition even after joining the Impressionists in 1876, the loose brushwork and abstract style here reflect Monet's influence.

In the Catalogue raisonné of Caillebotte's paintings compiled by Marie Berhaut, the painting "Rue Halévy, View from a Balcony" is not listed. Despite the signature and dating, the work might have been a study. The painting is directly related to two other city views that were painted from the same location and are numbered 99 and 100 in the catalog. The authenticity of this painting has been confirmed by the Comité Caillebotte.