Windmill on the Onbekende Canal, Amsterdam 1874

Claude Monet painted "Windmill on the Onbekende Canal, Amsterdam" with oil on canvas, using the quick, broken brushstrokes for which he’s so well known. But consider: these strokes weren’t just about capturing fleeting light. They also mirrored the pace of industrializing Europe. The windmill itself was becoming obsolete, replaced by steam power. It’s almost as if Monet is painting the last gasp of pre-industrial labor. Look closely, and you can almost feel the effort involved in grinding grain by wind power, a traditional practice soon to be eclipsed by the relentless march of progress. Even the reflections on the water seem restless, disturbed by the changing times. Monet's choice of rapid strokes emphasizes his own labor, and can be interpreted as his way of keeping pace with a society consumed by labor-saving devices and the ever quickening movement of time. So, next time you see an impressionist painting, remember it’s not just about beauty. It’s also about the changing world and the human effort to keep up.