rainy day

Ah, what could be better than sleeping in with the pattering of rain tapping away at the roof and windows? Well, I couldn't exactly sleep in today, but I can revel in the odd rainy day. It has been so sunny and warm and summery lately, that this cool gray rain is almost a relief! I am forced to stay inside and think.

Of all the Impressionists, I've always had a thing for Gustave Caillebotte. Of course, his "Rainy Day in Paris" is world-renown, as well as "The Floorscrapers" from 1876. But with rain-induced time on my hands, I decided to do some searching for my favorite Caillebotte.

Along the way, I found this other, lesser-known "Floorscrapers", actually painted a year after the one above. I love it when artists take on subject matter in different ways over long spans of time. It really shows off different perspectives, discoveries that the artists themselves make along the way.

But, this is my favorite: "Young Man at His Window", painted in 1875. I love that the room and the view remind me of the view from my room when I first visited Paris. I love the stony-cool colors and the dramatic figure in his black suit. It is full of mystery and longing. If you look closely, following the "gaze" of the young man, you can see a female figure standing on the street corner. This intimates a story without fully spelling it out for us, and raises more questions than it answers. I like that.