The artwork known as “Portrait of a Schoolboy” was crafted by the impressionist artist Gustave Caillebotte in the year 1879. Employing oil on canvas as his medium, Caillebotte produced a piece reflective of the Impressionist movement, a genre characterized by an emphasis on accurate depiction of light and candid poses. This portrait belongs to the genre of portraiture and is presently housed within a private collection.
Upon examining the artwork, one observes the portrayal of a young boy, presumably a student given the title of the piece, whose gaze meets the viewer with a calm and introspective expression. The artist has captured the nuances of the boy’s youthful features with a delicate balance of light and shadow, using soft brush strokes to blend the colors seamlessly. The background is rendered in darker, less defined brush strokes, which brings the focus sharply to the schoolboy’s face and its finer details, such as the light catching his cheeks and the subtle gradations of color. His attire, likely a school uniform, is depicted in a somber tone, with the details of the buttons and his attire indicating a careful attention to the realistic portrayal of his subject. The overall composition conveys a sense of immediacy and intimacy, suggesting a fleeting moment captured by the artist’s skilled hand.
