Gustave Caillebotte was a French artist who painted in the Impressionism and Realism Movements. He was born into a wealthy Paris family and was educated in law and engineering before art became his focus. He died at age 45 of a heart condition. Some sources say he was painting in his garden when he passed away.

On a rainy Saturday here in the desert that is Colorado, I find in this piece a stunning and universal impression of rain. The precipitation is portrayed in the color of the path, the raindrop texture of the far shore and the familiar circles of water on water in the stream. The central reflected light and shapes add grace to The Yerres, a reminder of sunlight and colors beyond the neutral palette Caillebotte used and beyond each rainy day.

This gentle metaphor made of paint and vision seems also to speak of the concentric ripples of a well lived and loved life. It seems to speak of community and the inevitable connections of the daily as our circles expand and combine with those of others near us in a pattern as natural and fresh as the smell of the rain. Does this image call you to a memory or a melody?

God is in the ripples and in the interpretation of these. Gustave Caillebotte shared his view, hopefully making us more attentive to our own. Attention and appreciation seem tied on the shores of The Yerres and can be wherever we go. May we notice each beauty in God’s name and give God thanks and praise. Amen.

In gratitude, faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty
Minister of Children and Families
Montview Church