Rainy Day, Chicago, With Caillebotte

A masterpiece celebrating the rise of one great modern city found its home in another.

Kerry Dooley Young
7 min readJan 13, 2024

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Caillebotte, Gustave. “Paris Street, Rainy Day,” 1877. Art Institute of Chicago. Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection. Image in public domain. Thanks to the Art Institute.

It felt like passing by a friend at a party, pausing only long enough to say you’d circle back soon.

I’d taken a taken a cheap flight from Washington, D.C., to see the “Remedios Varo: Science Fictions” show at the Art Institute of Chicago. The show included many paintings still held in private collections. So it was a rare chance to examine up close the detailed surrealist worlds created by Varo (1908–1963), a Spanish exile who spent most of the last two decades of her life in Mexico. I’ll post an essay about that show if I can get permission to include images of the paintings.

But on my way through the museum to the Varo show, I had to first take a quick look at a very different kind of painting.

It seemed rude to pass “Paris Street; Rainy Day” without acknowledging it.

"Be back later," I whispered as I left after stopping for a minute to visit with this painting.

That’s not quite as ridiculous as it seems.

Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894) draws viewers into “Paris Street; Rainy Day,” letting us feel a part of his world and not just observers of it. To show off his hometown, Caillebotte…

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Kerry Dooley Young
Kerry Dooley Young

Written by Kerry Dooley Young

D.C.-based journalist who travels for fun. Has eaten in more than 60 countries. Writes about paintings, architecture, museums, food, cities and democracy.

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