Gare Saint-Lazare

Steam rises toward a soaring roof of glass and iron in this glimpse of the Gare Saint-Lazare, a Paris train station that buzzed with activity in 1877. Claude Monet did not bother with sharp outlines for the locomotives or the small figures scattered across the platform. What caught his eye was the mood of the place, the hazy blend of smoke, sunlight, and constant motion. Cool blues and greens dominate the canvas, broken up by quick dabs of color that come together into a lively whole once you back away from it.

The work is a fine example of Impressionism, the movement Monet helped launch as a rebellion against the tidy, lifelike paintings favored in his day. Choosing a train station as a subject was a daring move, since fellow artists mostly stuck to charming countryside views or dramatic historical moments. Monet instead embraced the grit and buzz of the modern city, returning to this station again and again for about a dozen canvases. Legend has it he even talked the station staff into delaying trains and stoking the engines so he could capture the perfect billow of smoke.