Gare Saint-LazareAI

Step inside one of Paris's busiest train stations as Claude Monet saw it in 1877. Steam billows up toward the great glass and iron roof, softening the shapes of locomotives and the crowd of tiny figures hurrying along the platform. Rather than painting the trains in crisp detail, Monet was more interested in capturing the atmosphere of the place, that hazy mix of smoke, light, and movement that filled the air. The whole scene shimmers in cool blues and greens, with little dashes of color that pull together when you step back.

This painting belongs to Impressionism, the style Monet helped create, which broke away from the polished, realistic art of the time. The Gare Saint-Lazare was a bold subject choice. Most artists of the era painted pretty landscapes or grand historical scenes, but Monet turned his eye to modern industry and the energy of city life. He actually made about twelve paintings of this same station, fascinated by how the steam and light changed from one moment to the next. It is said he convinced the station officials to hold up trains and crank up the engines so he could get just the right cloud of smoke for his canvas.