Museum Gallery

The Chicago Art Institute is currently housing Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare (1877) by Claude Monet. Dimensions of the work are 60.3 80.2 cm (23 3/4 31 1/2 in.). It is part of the Museums Painting and Sculpture of Europe, Gallery 201. It is an oil on canvas done in the Impressionist style, which is a style I find attractive and is the reason I selected this work.

In Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare (1877), Claude Monet captures the energy and movement of a busy train station. The painting is full of life, with people rushing to and fro and a train steaming into the station. The colors are vibrant and the scene is chaotic, yet there is a sense of order and harmony. The composition is well balanced, with the train occupying the center of the painting and the people milling about in the foreground and backgroundbut mostly...

The overall effect is one of bustling activity and excitement. The lower portion of the painting is empty space (gray) contrasting with the open space in the center above (blue) depicting sky. The colors and use of line are really what give the painting its flavor.

This painting was part of a series of paintings on the same subject that Monet did for the third Impressionist exhibition, in 1877, probably placing them...

…a beautifully detailed work that captures the hustle and bustle of a busy train station. The painting is full of color and movement, and the viewer can almost hear the sound of the trains coming into the station. Through my research, I learned that Monet grew up in Normandy and that this Normandy train likely took him back to his early days of youth. I also found that this particular painting is considered to be one of his best works. I can see why it is highly regarded, as I personally found it to be enchanting and full of wondermuch like Paris itself in my experience. Overall, it is a well-crafted painting that provides a glimpse into the world…