The Thames below Westminster 1871

Claude Monet painted "The Thames below Westminster" in London, rendering the iconic cityscape in muted tones of grey, blue, and yellow. Monet, a 19th-century French artist, was deeply affected by the social and political changes in Europe. Monet’s arrival in London coincided with Britain's Industrial Revolution, a time of great change. His paintings of the Thames capture the atmospheric effects of the city, shaped by industrialization and expansion. The hazy, dreamlike quality of the scene obscures the underlying realities of labor and class. The thick fog, a mix of mist and pollution, hints at the cost of progress. As Monet once said, "I couldn't paint London directly but through a screen of mist". Through this work, we are asked to consider not just what is visible but what is obscured, and how history itself shapes our perceptions. The painting serves as a poignant reflection on the human condition and its intertwined relationship with industrialization.