The railway station, Redfern

A rainy morning at Sydney's Redfern Station comes to life in this 1893 painting by Arthur Streeton. Working with quick, loose brushstrokes, he sketched out the bustle of the place without getting bogged down in detail. Horse drawn cabs wait for passengers, a bright yellow carriage stands to the left, and small figures hurry along under the grey sky. Right in the middle of the open foreground, a single person carries an umbrella across the wet ground, which gives the whole scene a slightly lonely feel. The soft reflections on the damp pavement add to that sense of a slow, drizzly day.

Streeton belonged to the Heidelberg School, a group of Australian artists often called the country's answer to Impressionism, and this painting is a good example of their approach. His muted mix of greys, faded yellows, and dull browns matches the weather perfectly, while the blurry station buildings in the distance look just like something you might spot through a train window on a foggy morning. Streeton is usually remembered for his sunny landscapes of the Australian bush, so this quiet city scene reveals a different mood. It proves he could turn even a dreary wet day into something worth looking at.