Skiffs

A man wearing a straw hat guides a slender boat across a stretch of green water, while other rowers glide nearby amid a line of trees along the bank. The setting is the Yerres, with a forest rising behind the river, giving the scene a quiet, shaded atmosphere. This oil painting, titled Skiffs, was made in 1877 by Gustave Caillebotte and now belongs to the National Gallery of Art, having come from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Caillebotte, a French painter born in 1848 and died in 1894, was associated with Impressionism and also created the well-known work Paris Street; Rainy Day. One detail worth noticing is how the narrow périssoire boats cut thin, precise lines across the water, each paddler balanced carefully as the surrounding trees reflect in soft green tones.