Sunflowers on the Banks of the Seine 1886

Gustave Caillebotte painted *Sunflowers on the Banks of the Seine* using oil on canvas, a material with a long history in Western art, yet here used to capture a decidedly modern scene. Caillebotte’s technique is intriguing: short, sure strokes of paint, applied wet-on-wet, to create a lively surface. The viscosity of the oil paint allows the artist to build up texture, mimicking the rough surfaces of the sunflowers and the rippling water of the Seine. But look closer, and you'll see more: the industrial architecture on the banks of the river. Caillebotte was from a wealthy family that made its money supplying textiles to the military. He was fascinated by modern manufacturing and engineering, and he often painted scenes of urban life. By including both the sunflowers and the factory, Caillebotte challenges the traditional divide between nature and industry, suggesting that both can coexist in the modern world. And he does so through the very materiality of his paint.