3″ across, acrylic on 100% rag board

Gustave Caillebotte was a French painter who lived from 1848-1894. He is considered one of the painters of the French Impressionist school, though looking at his work, one would never think that! His paintings are more firmly rooted in realism, with its harder edges and more muted color schemes than so many of his contemporaries. In addition to being a wonderful painter, Caillebotte had a law degree with a license to practice, and was also an engineer. Talk about a multi-talented individual!

I was commissioned to do this miniature version of Caillebotte’s 7 foot by 9 foot Paris street scene. Online images of the painting appeared quite cool in color, but then the client sent me a photo he took of the painting in a museum. That image showed many more ochres and browns. I preferred that slightly warmer interpretation, and went for something in between in my own version.

Scaling down an enormous, mural-like painting to 3″ across is no easy task. I imagined that the actual painting in real life is much more painterly than when it’s shrunk down to a tiny fraction of its size, as we see on a computer screen. Aside from the technical difficulties of putting in all that detail in a tiny painting, it would lose much of its character. It required considerable editing to keep enough detail in there without overwhelming the small space. I’d like to believe I successfully met that challenge!

My miniature works are all sent in gold gift boxes with table easels for a curio cabinet or side table, and most are framed too. (See below.) They are usually done as commissions, but occasionally I have one on hand, ready to go to a new home. They make fabulous gift items. Here are images of some of my miniature originals. These three are spoken for, but I’d be happy to do one for you!

Hudson River School Sunset

Hudson River School Sunset #2

Hudson River School Sunset #3

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Cityscape/Townscape/Urban paintings, Miniature Paintings, Sold | 1 Comment »