The artwork “Saint-Lazare Station, Exterior” was created by the renowned artist Claude Monet in 1876. It is representative of the Impressionism art movement and falls under the genre of cityscape. This piece is part of a series Monet dedicated to the Saint-Lazare Station, where he captured the hustle and bustle of modern life and the industrial age.
The artwork portrays a busy atmosphere characteristic of an active railway station. Dominating the scene are two trains, their engines billowing smoke that rises up and blends with the light filtering through the station’s glass roof. The smoke’s loose, swirling pattern is a testament to the Impressionist technique of capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. The perspective draws the viewer’s eye into the depth of the composition, leading to the vanishing point where the architecture of the station and the hazy figures of people and trains converge.
Monet’s use of light and shadow, as well as his brief brushstrokes, imbues the scene with a vibrancy that suggests movement and the transient moments of daily life. The station’s architecture is suggested through strategic placement of color and minimal detailing, which allows for an emphasis on the overall impression of the scene rather than its specifics. The figures scattered throughout the artwork—some standing still, others in motion—add a human element to the otherwise industrial setting, highlighting the intersection of humanity and technology during the transformation of urban spaces in the 19th century.
