With his remarkable views of Paris, which he presented at the second Impressionist exhibition in 1876, Caillebotte immediately imposed himself as one of the group’s most important figures. More than the way in which he dealt with the paint layer, his ground-breaking layouts, exaggerated close-ups of backgrounds and plunging perspectives made Caillebotte an example of modernity long before history remembered him for being the eminent collector whose bequest to the State created such a stir.
