Traffic Island on Boulevard Haussmann 1880

Gustave Caillebotte created Traffic Island on Boulevard Haussmann, a painting whose date is unknown, that presents a bird’s-eye view of a Parisian traffic island. This composition, with its high vantage point, encapsulates the transformed urban landscape of Paris under Haussmann’s renovation in the late 19th century. The broad boulevards, symbols of modernization and social engineering, enabled easier troop movement to quell social unrest. Caillebotte’s detached perspective, emphasizes the control and surveillance inherent in the city’s redesign. The inclusion of the traffic island, a new urban element, marks the rationalization of public space. To fully appreciate Caillebotte's choices, we delve into urban planning archives, architectural journals, and social commentaries of the period. It's through this historical lens that we can understand the politics embedded in Caillebotte's seemingly objective portrayal of modern Paris, revealing the social control inherent in its redesigned streets.