Man on a Balcony 1880

Editor: Gustave Caillebotte's "Man on a Balcony," painted in 1880 with oil paints, offers a glimpse of a Parisian street scene. There’s almost a cinematic quality to its perspective. What do you make of this particular viewpoint? Curator: Oh, I love how Caillebotte just yanks us into his world! You know, most Impressionists are all sunshine and flowers, but Caillebotte? He gives us this urban experience – not necessarily joyful, more…contemplative. It's like he’s showing us what it feels like to exist within Haussmann's Paris, the grand boulevards both connecting and isolating. What do you think the man in the painting is pondering, staring out like that? Editor: Maybe he's thinking about the cost of living in such a grand city, or the social inequalities lurking just beneath the surface of this beautiful cityscape. Curator: Exactly! There’s that tension, isn’t there? Beauty and unease. Caillebotte does that dance so well. The abrupt cropping also plays tricks with the eyes. Makes one question, 'are we invited to look or are we simply…eavesdropping'? Editor: I hadn't considered the feeling of eavesdropping! Now that you point it out, it’s undeniable. That changes my whole read of the painting. Curator: That’s the delicious thing about art. The more we chew on it, the more it surprises. Editor: I’ll definitely think about that tension between beauty and unease the next time I walk through a city. Thanks for that perspective.