The railway station, Redfern

Painted in 1893, this scene captures the busy world around Redfern Station in Sydney on a wet, grey day. Arthur Streeton was one of the leading figures of the Heidelberg School, an Australian movement often described as the country's version of Impressionism. Here you can see why. Rather than fussing over tiny details, Streeton used loose, quick brushstrokes to suggest figures hurrying through the rain, horse drawn cabs waiting for fares, and the soft reflections shimmering on the wet ground. A lone person with an umbrella walks across the open foreground, giving the whole picture a quiet, almost lonely mood.

What makes this work interesting is how Streeton turned an ordinary, slightly dreary moment into something atmospheric and real. The muted palette of greys, soft yellows, and dull browns perfectly matches the damp weather, and the blurry station buildings in the distance feel like a place you might glimpse from a train window on a slow morning. Streeton later became one of Australia's most celebrated landscape painters, often known for bright, sunlit views of the bush. This city scene shows a different side of him, proving he could find beauty even in a rainy day at the station.