Gustave Caillebotte, impressionist painter, lawyer, engineer, soldier, boat builder, sailor, yacht designer and patron of the arts. He had a style close to his friend Degas and he was equally inspired by photography but his interiors show a more intimate and involved point of view. He composed with unusual perspectives and his interiors use soft reflected light in a sculptural way. Like his fellow impressionists he wanted to break away from the traditions of the academy and paint "modern" life. He is shown above designing a boat in his painting studio. During his life he was France's most accomplished sailor and the boats he designed continued to win medals at the olympics after his early death. Puts one in mind of Woody Allen's short story - If the Impressionists had been Dentists :

Dear Theo,

Will life never treat me decently? I am wracked by despair! My head is pounding! Mrs. Sol Schwimmer is suing me because I made her bridge as I felt it and not to fit her ridiculous mouth! That's right! I can't work to order like a common tradesman! I decided her bridge should be enormous and billowing, with wild, explosive teeth flaring up in every direction like fire! Now she is upset because it won't fit in her mouth! She is so bourgeois and stupid, I want to smash her! I tried forcing the false plate in but it sticks out like a star-burst chandelier. Still, I find it beautiful. She claims she can't chew! What do I care whether she can chew or not! Theo, I can't go on like this much longer.

-Vincent.