Gustave Caillebotte

The Marly Machine painted by Caillebotte provides a fresh approach to the artist, better known as the “painter of modern life”.

Choosing to set up his easel upstream of the dam on the Seine, he painted the theme of the Marly machine that was so often depicted in Sisley’s paintings. However, he has a different touch, the space is punctuated with horizontal and vertical lines and human presence adds life to the landscape.

This painting reveals to us the friendship, and perhaps the admiration, Caillebotte felt towards Sisley and other Impressionists, confirming his role as a patron for his friends.