“The Orange Trees” by Gustave Caillebotte

“The Orange Trees” by Gustave Caillebotte portrays Caillebotte’s brother, Martial, reading in the orange trees’ shade. Their cousin, Zoé, is standing at one of the garden planters, which contain the trees.

The poses of both suggest that they are each enjoying the afternoon quietly with their private thoughts. The sunlight illuminates a circular flower bed surrounded by a curving path, at the edge of which is a sleeping dog.

Caillebotte has composed a sharp contrast between the shady foreground in the lower part of the image and the bright background.

The shadows are painted in muted greens and purples, while the lawn and flower beds are brilliant greens, reds, and whites.

Caillebotte painted this canvas en Plein air at the family’s country estate in Yerres.

Impressionist painters were known for painting outdoors; however, large canvases such as this, painted outdoors, were uncommon due to the difficulties in creating such a large work quickly, before the light changed.

Caillebotte was a friend of many impressionist painters, and this painting is part of that tradition; however, it differs in its realism and reliance on-line and not broad brush strokes.

It also reflects Caillebotte’s interest in photography. The figure of Zoé in the background appears out of focus, while the foreground chairs are in sharper focus.

The cropping of the orange tree further suggests the influence of photography.

Gustave Caillebotte

Gustave Caillebotte (1848 – 1894) was a French painter and patron of the Impressionists artists. Caillebotte was born to a wealthy upper-class Parisian family.

Caillebotte’s sizable allowance which allowed him to paint without the pressure to sell his work.

It also allowed him to help fund Impressionist exhibitions and support his fellow artists and friends Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro, among others, by purchasing their works and paying the rent for their studios.

The Orange Trees

Title: The Orange Trees
French: Les Orangers
Artist: Gustave Caillebotte
Year: 1878
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: Height: 1,549.4 mm (61 in). Width: 1,168.4 mm (46 in).
Museum: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Gustave Caillebotte

Name: Gustave Caillebotte
Born: 1848 – Paris, France
Died: 1894 (aged 45) – Gennevilliers, France
Nationality: French
Movement: Realism, Impressionism
Notable works:
- Paris Street, Rainy Day
- The Orange Trees
- Gustave Caillebotte’s Boating Paintings
  - Skiffs on the Yerres
  - Boating on the Yerres
  - Boater Pulling on His Perissoire”
  - Les Périssoires
  - Canoe on the Yerres River
  - Oarsmen Rowing on the Yerres
  - Boaters on the Yerres