Soleils, Jardin du Petit Gennevilliers

Gustave Caillebotte, a leading figure and staunch supporter of the Impressionist movement, shared Claude Monet’s passion for exploring painting through the art of gardening, and the two often shared their gardening experiences with each other. Soleils, Jardin de Petit Gennevilliers, painted in the garden Caillebotte created on his property in Petit Gennevilliers, depicts a blue-green forest of foliage, underbrush, and tilted, overgrown sunflowers. The fast and dense brushwork and loose, free strokes demonstrate the maturity of his artistic style. Meanwhile, the deliberate cropping of the composition shows the influence of photographic techniques, and the bold forms of the pictorial surface highlight Caillebotte’s unique exploration of modern art. The work of Caillebotte inspired Van Gogh, the creator of many famed Sunflowers.