Boating on the Yerres (Perissoires sur l Yerres) by Gustave Caillebotte

Impressionist painter Gustave Caillebotte loved water sports, and Boating on the Yerres (Perissoires sur l'Yerres) (1877) is a return to his boyhood, when he and his brothers rowed on the Yerres River near their family's country home. After focusing on the street scene for several years, Gustave Caillebotte approached boating scenes for his compositions. He created a sophisticated and subtle tension by painting multiple axes; in this case, the horizon and reflections are countered by the diag­onal paths of the boats.

Boating on the Yerres (Perissoires sur l'Yerres) by Gustave Caillebotte is an oil on canvas (40-3/4 x 61-3/8 inches) that is housed in Milwaukee Art Museum.

The difference in color palette between Gustave Caillebotte's country paintings and his depictions of city life is striking. The next Impressionist painting, Le Pont de l'Europe, uses all cool colors.

For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see:

• Impressionism
• Vincent van Gogh
• Claude Monet