Puzzled

Not many people were out and about today, whilst I was taking my unlimited exercise. There are two possible explanations: first, it was too cold for many to venture outside; and/or secondly, people are trying to work out just exactly what they are, and are not, supposed to do, following last night's confusing statement by our PM.

Today's first listen was to The Shin's album Wincing the Night Away (2007) on which my favourite track was Turn On Me.

A stunning painting today, of particular interest to photographers. Gustave Caillebotte was a wealthy friend and patron of Impressionist artists such as Renoir and Monet.  He purchased many of their works, at a time when they were unfashionable and then, following his death, bequeathed them to the French nation.  He too was a painter but was very modest about his work, which was rarely seen in public until the 1950s.

His Paris Street, Rainy Day is a striking work of "urban impressionism" showing a junction of streets in Northern Paris, with dozens of people, some very near to the viewer and others more distant. Many are carrying umbrellas. The composition has a strong vertical feature in the centre - a lamp post and a strong horizontal - the crossing street. Interestingly all the large figures in the work have their eyeline on that horizontal. 

Caillebotte had a keen interest in early photography and his painting reminds me of many examples of excellent street photography, not least with the juxtaposition of the people, the buildings and the street, the texture of the cobbles and the reflection of the lamp post on the wet paving.