Dennis Marek: The painter who did not follow rules

I know that I have rarely written of art, as not a lot of people have spent much time looking at someone else’s creations and presentations. Art is a very particular item in our world today. There are so many other ways to spend one’s time rather than walking through a historic art museum. I doubt if the internet has enhanced the appreciation of art much. But I have been caught in the art-enjoying mode since high school.

In my sophomore year of high school, I took my first year of a foreign language. Why not before? Well, there was only one teacher who could only have one year or the other and teach a second language back then. She had to alternate the first and second years of Spanish. My freshman year there would only have been the second year, so I had to wait. One of the problems with a rural school.

Even though we had only one teacher, she was far from average. In addition to getting us farm kids to speak a second language, she taught us to appreciate things from other parts of the world. By chance, the Art Institute of Chicago was having a special showing of the artist Pablo Picasso. Miss Carney took a chance and convinced the administration that her Spanish class should have the rare opportunity of viewing such a unique presentation from this Spaniard. She got us a bus and we were off to Chicago.

Those of us who had seen any classical art were awestruck by this presentation. As you know, the modern art of Picasso was a far cry from traditional art. These were not picture-perfect reproductions of scenes, people and objects, but a twisted showing of art with a mind set for change from contemporary. We were all amazed at this new type of art. Known as the Cubist Movement, it commenced around 1907 and was further developed in the years to come.

While I was not totally in love with this style, it did get me to the Museum. As we walked in, the first gigantic piece of art displayed right inside the doors was by an artist named Gustave Caillebotte. He painted in the style of Impressionism. This piece was called Paris Street Rainy Day. This was my kind of art.

I did not get back to the Museum for a good while, but during my junior year abroad in Europe, I was blessed to visit many of the famous museums of London, Paris, Rome, Florence and the Prado in Madrid. I was hooked on art.

My three years of law school took place in downtown Chicago, only a mile or so from the Art Institute of Chicago, and I took advantage. I watched for any special art exhibitions that might be coming, and I would be there. My art interest did change a bit over the years, but it always returned to Mr. Caillebotte.

Years later, I was to meet Dr. Collins, a professor of Art from Olivet University. At first, he was not all that impressed with Caillebotte, but when I toured the museum with him a couple of times, he became warmer about this man.

I decided to learn some history about this Frenchman. I found that he intended to become a lawyer and earned his degree in law in 1870. But the Franco-Prussian War broke out, and he was drafted. During his time in the military, he began to paint. Many of these early pieces depicted the tough life of the soldier.

On returning to civilian life and coming from a wealthy family, he enrolled in the Ecole des Beaus-Arts in Paris. His family was supportive, and several members served as models in his early works.

Because of the family support, he was able to paint what he liked and in his own style, since selling this art was not a necessity. Consequently, his art became what he wanted, not necessarily what the other “famous impressionists” thought was the only true style. He and his father opted to build Gustave a studio. As he watched the laborers sweat while they put in the hardwood floor, he decided to make a painting of this. He chose this piece, known as the Floor Scrapers, to be submitted to the Salon, a state-sponsored art group and a necessity of their approval for a beginning painter to be recognized.

The jury rejected this piece as not conforming to the type of painting then flourishing in Paris. You could show a woman with no top clothing, but not men, and the laborers were bare-chested and sweating. He would never again submit a piece to this group and went on as a rebellious impressionist. And he could afford to go his own way, unlike many struggling artists.

Soon, he found himself spending time with another group of painters, including Claude Monet and Renoir, and together they changed much of the Parisian art. By the new group’s third exhibition, Caillebotte was the leader of this new area of art, and fame followed.

Why this article? Well, starting this week, the Art Institute of Chicago is having another special showing of Caillebotte’s art. I was lucky enough to see such a showing of his several years ago there and the Floor Scrapers was part of that collection. Paris Street Rainy Day has been on a tour of its own, but it will be back in its rightful home as well. If you are at all interested, this is a must-see event. It opened on July 4 and will run until early October.

My interest has been so driven that I have three reproductions of Caillebotte’s work in my home, recreated by that gifted Olivet professor for me, including Paris Street, Rainy Day.

· Dennis Marek can be contacted at llamalaw23@gmail.com.