Gare St.-Lazare: Arrival of a Train 1877

Claude Monet captured the Gare St-Lazare in this oil on canvas, part of a series painted around 1877. Monet, an impressionist painter, was fascinated with modernity. The Gare St-Lazare, one of Paris's largest and busiest train stations, was a potent symbol of France's rapid industrialization. Notice how Monet focuses on the play of light and color created by steam, smoke, and sunlight filtering through the station's glass roof. The choice of subject matter and Monet’s technique were important to the impressionists' radical project of depicting modern life. They moved away from historical or mythological scenes favored by the French Academy. Instead, they depicted everyday subjects. They wanted to challenge the hierarchy of genres established by the Academy and explore the fleeting moments of modern urban life. Understanding the social and institutional contexts of art helps us appreciate the role of art as a reflection of, and commentary on, the changing world. Studying the writings of art critics from the time, records from the French Academy, and sociological studies of Parisian life can help us to understand this painting in the context of its time.