Vase of Gladiolas 1887

Gustave Caillebotte, a 19th-century French painter, created this painting in oil on canvas, now part of a private collection. Caillebotte was a unique figure in the Impressionist movement, coming from a wealthy background that allowed him to support his fellow artists and pursue painting as a passion. Here, gladiolas burst forth in vibrant reds and whites against a dark background, set in a shimmering green vase. Given Caillebotte’s social position, still life painting allowed him to explore artistic expression without the immediate social commentary often found in his depictions of Parisian life. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t think about these flowers and their arrangement as a construction of identity. The careful composition speaks to the constructed nature of beauty, as well as to the fleeting, ephemeral nature of life and the challenge of capturing it on canvas. It’s as if Caillebotte asks: what does it mean to arrange, to capture, to present a moment in time?