Painting modern life: Monet's Gare Saint-Lazare

Summary

The video script discusses Claude Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' painting, displayed in the Musée d'Orsay, a repurposed train station. It highlights the modernity of the era, symbolized by the architecture and the bustling train station, reflecting the social changes of 19th-century Paris. Monet's focus on light and color, rather than traditional subject matter, is emphasized, showcasing the Impressionist movement's departure from academic painting. The script also touches on the broader theme of capturing the beauty of modern life, as urged by critics like Baudelaire, and the Impressionists' role in creating a new visual language for the modern world.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The painting 'Gare Saint-Lazare' by Monet is featured in the Musée d'Orsay, which is a converted train station, reflecting the modernity of the subject matter.
• 🚂 Large train stations in 19th-century Paris symbolized modernity through their function and architecture, which was a departure from traditional materials like wood and stone.
• 🌆 The reconstruction of Paris in the 19th century introduced wide boulevards and new apartment buildings, catering to the emerging middle and upper-middle classes.
• 🤝 The train station as a public space represented a mixing of different social classes, reflecting the changing societal structures of the time.
• 🌈 Monet's focus on the optical play of light and color rather than the physical solidity of the subjects, such as the train shed and trains, emphasizes the Impressionist interest in perception over reality.
• 🖼️ The Impressionists, including Monet, positioned themselves outside the academic establishment, exhibiting their works independently from the official salons.
• 🌫️ The painting captures the transient nature of the scene with the steam and light obscuring the architectural details, creating a sense of dissolution.
• 👤 Monet reduced human figures to quick brushstrokes, equalizing them with the other elements of the painting and making them subservient to the main subject of light and color.
• 🏙️ The painting of an urban landscape by Monet was a response to critics' calls to depict the beauty of modern life, moving away from traditional subjects like classical antiquity and biblical scenes.
• 🎭 Despite the perceived spontaneity of Impressionist paintings, 'Gare Saint-Lazare' shows a heavily worked canvas with layers of paint, indicating a meticulous approach to color application.
• 🌟 Monet and the Impressionists were pioneers in developing a new visual language that captured the essence of the modern world they lived in.

Q & A

What is the significance of the Musée d'Orsay in relation to the painting 'Gare Saint-Lazare'?

The Musée d'Orsay is significant because it is a renovated train station itself, which adds a layer of context to viewing Monet's painting of another train station, 'Gare Saint-Lazare'.

Why were large train stations in late 19th century Paris considered modern?

Large train stations were considered modern due to their function, architecture, and the use of materials like iron, which was a departure from traditional wood or stone construction.

How did the train stations and their architecture reflect the societal changes of the time?

Train stations and their architecture reflected the societal changes by being part of the urban rebuilding that included wide boulevards and new types of buildings catering to a growing middle class, signifying a shift in social structure.

What role did the train stations play in the mixing of different social classes?

Train stations played a role in the mixing of different social classes by being public spaces where people from various backgrounds would come together, reflecting the unraveling of the rigid social hierarchy of the time.

How does Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' differ from traditional academic paintings of the time?

Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' differs from traditional academic paintings by focusing on the optical experience of light and atmosphere rather than providing a factual representation of the subject matter.

What was the Impressionist movement's stance in relation to the academic art establishment?

The Impressionist movement positioned itself outside of the academic establishment, often exhibiting their works independently of the official salons sponsored by the Royal Academy.

How did Monet reduce the human figures in 'Gare Saint-Lazare'?

Monet reduced the human figures to quick brushstrokes, making them less discernible and equal to the other elements in the painting, such as the trains and architecture.

What was the main subject of Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare'?

The main subject of Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' was the interplay of light and color, with the landscape, specifically the urban landscape of the train station, taking precedence.

How did Monet's approach to painting the 'Gare Saint-Lazare' align with the call for artists to capture modern life?

Monet's approach aligned with the call for artists to capture modern life by focusing on the beauty of the contemporary urban environment and the optical effects of light and atmosphere within it.

What technique did Monet use to create the sense of atmosphere in 'Gare Saint-Lazare'?

Monet created the sense of atmosphere by using heavy layers of paint to weave color across the canvas, without relying on traditional atmospheric perspective.

How did the Impressionists, including Monet, contribute to the creation of a new visual language?

The Impressionists, including Monet, contributed to the creation of a new visual language by focusing on the optical effects of light and color, and by challenging traditional artistic conventions to reflect the modern world.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Monet's Modernity: Gare Saint-Lazare

In the Musée d'Orsay, Monet's painting 'Gare Saint-Lazare' captures the essence of modernity in Paris during the late 19th century. The painting depicts a train station, a symbol of the era's technological advancements and architectural innovations. Monet's focus on the optical effects of light and steam, rather than the detailed structure of the station, highlights the Impressionists' interest in capturing the fleeting moments of daily life. The painting's emphasis on light and color, rather than the solidity of the iron engine, reflects Monet's departure from traditional academic painting. The work also comments on the social changes of the time, as train stations served as public spaces where people from different classes mixed. Monet's use of quick brushstrokes to depict human figures further emphasizes the painting's focus on the landscape and the atmospheric effects, rather than the human element.

05:03

🌟 Impressionist Innovation: A New Visual Language

The Impressionists, including Monet, were pioneers in creating a new visual language that reflected the modern world they inhabited. Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' is a prime example of this, as it showcases the Impressionists' focus on light and color, rather than traditional subject matter like classical antiquity or biblical scenes. The painting's heavily worked canvas and lack of atmospheric perspective serve to remind viewers that they are observing paint on canvas, emphasizing the artistic process and the Impressionists' desire to capture the essence of modern life. Monet's work, along with that of his contemporaries, challenged the status quo and paved the way for a new understanding of beauty in art, one that was grounded in the realities of their time.

Keywords

💡Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, which is housed in a former railway station. It is famous for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. In the video, the museum serves as a backdrop to discuss the significance of Monet's painting 'Gare Saint-Lazare,' highlighting the irony that the museum itself was once a train station, reinforcing the theme of modernity and transformation.

💡Gare Saint-Lazare

Gare Saint-Lazare is a major train station in Paris, depicted in Monet's painting. The station symbolizes the modernity of the 19th century, with its large, open sheds and iron structures. The video discusses how Monet's painting captures the essence of this modern subject, focusing on the interplay of light and atmosphere rather than the architectural details.

💡Modernity

Modernity in the context of the video refers to the cultural and architectural changes that occurred in the late 19th century, particularly in Paris. The video highlights how train stations and the urban landscape were symbols of this modernity, with new architectural styles and the mixing of social classes in public spaces. Monet's painting is seen as an expression of this modern era, focusing on the optical effects of light and color.

💡Impressionism

Impressionism is an art movement characterized by an emphasis on the visual impression of a scene, often using loose brushwork and vibrant colors. The video discusses how Monet and other Impressionists were interested in capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, rather than the precise details of their subjects. Monet's painting of the Gare Saint-Lazare is an example of this approach, focusing on the sensory experience rather than the literal representation.

💡Train stations

Train stations are a central theme in the video, symbolizing the transformation of urban life in the 19th century. The video explains how these structures were not only functional but also architecturally significant, representing the modernity of the time. Monet's painting captures the essence of this new urban landscape, with the train station serving as a focal point.

💡Architecture

Architecture in the video is discussed in relation to the modern structures of the 19th century, particularly the train stations and apartment buildings. The video notes how these structures, made of iron and glass, were a departure from traditional materials like wood and stone. Monet's painting of the Gare Saint-Lazare is an example of how architecture was a key element in capturing the modernity of the time.

💡Light and color

Light and color are central to the Impressionist movement and are a major focus in Monet's painting of the Gare Saint-Lazare. The video discusses how Monet was interested in the optical effects of light and color, rather than the physical solidity of the objects he painted. This focus on light and color is what makes the painting feel dynamic and alive, with the steam and atmosphere creating a sense of movement.

💡Urban landscape

The urban landscape in the video refers to the cityscape of Paris in the 19th century, which was undergoing significant transformation. The video discusses how Monet's painting captures this urban landscape, focusing on the train station and the surrounding buildings. The urban landscape is depicted as a dynamic and modern space, reflecting the changes in society and architecture.

💡Academic establishment

The academic establishment in the video refers to the traditional art institutions and their standards, which the Impressionists often challenged. Monet's painting of the Gare Saint-Lazare is noted as an example of how the Impressionists positioned themselves outside of these traditional norms, focusing on their own visual experiences and artistic expressions rather than adhering to academic conventions.

💡Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire was a French poet and art critic who advocated for artists to capture the beauty of modern life. The video mentions Baudelaire in the context of Monet's painting, suggesting that Monet was responding to Baudelaire's call to depict the modern world. Monet's focus on light, color, and the urban landscape in his painting can be seen as a reflection of this call to capture the essence of modernity.

💡Visual language

The term 'visual language' in the video refers to the unique way in which the Impressionists, including Monet, used color, light, and brushwork to convey their artistic vision. The video discusses how Monet's painting of the Gare Saint-Lazare is an example of this new visual language, creating a sense of immediacy and sensory experience that was distinct from traditional academic painting.

Highlights

Monet's painting 'Gare Saint-Lazare' depicts a modern train station in Paris, reflecting the city's transformation in the late 19th century.

The Musée d'Orsay, where the painting is displayed, is itself a renovated train station, adding an interesting layer to the artwork.

Large train stations symbolized modernity in the 19th century, with their innovative architecture and function.

Train stations were a new kind of public space where people of different social classes would mix, reflecting societal changes of the time.

Monet focuses on the optical play of light and color, rather than the physical solidity of the train station's architecture.

The painting captures the hazy effect of steam, obscuring the train shed's structure and blending the trains into the atmosphere.

Monet's approach contrasts with academic painting, which prioritized a factual representation of subjects.

The painting was part of an independent exhibition, separate from the official salons sponsored by the Royal Academy.

Monet reduces human figures to quick brushstrokes, making them equal to the trains and architecture in the composition.

Light and color are the main subjects of the painting, with the urban landscape taking precedence over the human figure.

Impressionist artists like Monet were creating a new visual language to capture the beauty of modern life.

Despite the spontaneous appearance, the painting's surface shows a heavily worked canvas with layers of paint.

Monet's technique lacks atmospheric perspective, keeping the viewer aware of the paint on canvas.

The painting challenges traditional artistic subjects, focusing on the modern world instead of classical antiquity or historical scenes.

Critics like Baudelaire encouraged artists to find beauty in the modern urban environment, which Monet addresses in his work.

Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' is an example of Impressionists capturing the essence of the new modern world through their art.

Transcripts

[music]

We're in the Musée d'Orsay

looking at Monet's canvas "Gare Saint-Lazare."

This is one of several large train stations

in the city of Paris,

and it's really interesting that we're looking at it

in the Musée d'Orsay which is a renovated train station itself.

-We think about train stations

as just an ordinary part of urban life,

but in the late 19th century in Paris, large train stations

carrying masses of people out to the suburbs,

out to vacation spots, these were new kinds of structures.

-And they express their modernity

not only through their function,

but also through their architecture.

Trains, at this point,

were powered by burning coal and creating steam,

and that required large open sheds

which were held aloft by iron

all of which spoke of modernity.

This was not the traditional architecture of wood or of stone.

This is a completely modern subject.

-So this space looked modern, and it's not just the train shed,

but the apartment buildings that we see beyond it

that looked new.

During the second half of the 19th century,

Paris was rebuilt.

The old winding, maze-like, congested streets were torn down

and wide boulevards were built with apartment buildings

housing cafes and department stores

catering to a new middle class, an upper-middle class

that had cash to spend and the time and leisure to shop

and to enjoy themselves in Paris.

-And in a subtler way, the idea of transportation itself,

the idea of a place where people of different classes mix

is also itself modern.

For so long, French society had been rigidly ranked,

but that's unraveling in the modern era

and perhaps nowhere more vividly expressed

than in a public space like the train station.

-We often think about impressionist painting

as being about leisure,

Renoir's "Moulin de la Galette," for example,

where we see figures socializing and dancing.

-This is a working space,

but look at this surface of this canvas.

It's absolutely luscious.

It's so drenched with steam and light and smoke

that it seems to almost dissolve before our eyes.

-It's difficult in some places

to make out the architecture of the train shed,

because that steam hides it

especially on the left where those blueish lilac puffs of steam

obscure that iron framework.

-Light is pouring through the opening at the top of the shed

creating this prism of color

that is playing across the steam within.

In fact, one critic humorously said,

I can't really see the paintings for all the smoke

that's emanating from these six canvases

that Monet exhibited together

each a play on the subject.

-And it's not only the architectural structure

that's disappearing, but the forms of the trains themselves.

I mean, these are big machines

that dissolve into light and atmosphere.

-Well that's what Monet is interested in:

pure color and pure light in the optical play before him,

rather than his empirical knowledge

of the solidity of an iron engine.

-We have to remember that the Impressionists

were positioning themselves

outside of the academic establishment.

This painting and the group of other paintings

of the Gare Saint-Lazare

were exhibited at an impressionist exhibition

which was independent of the official exhibitions called salons

that were sponsored by the Royal Academy,

and so Monet is not giving us a painting

that would be a view of the Gare Saint-Lazare

with a factual accounting of what was in this station

and what one knows of it, but you're right,

this optical experience of light and atmosphere,

this very subjective experience.

-And Monet was not the only person in his group

that was interested in this subject.

Manet had painted this subject although in a very different way,

and another important artist, Caillebotte,

had painted a scene from the bridge

that we see just beyond the smokestack of the locomotive.

-What fascinates me too is the degree to which Monet

has reduced the figures themselves to quick brushstrokes,

and we can't make our faces.

We can make out a little bit of gestures or postures,

but he's really reducing the human figure

to these quick strokes of pain.

The human figure was the centerpiece of academic painting,

and yet here it becomes equal to the trains

and to the architecture he’s painting.

-And subservient to the main subject of this painting:

light and color.

-Other impressionist artists, like Renoir,

will concern themselves with the human figure

within the light and atmosphere,

but for Monet it is the landscape

and here, an urban landscape that is most important to him.

and critics like Baudelaire

had been calling for artists to paint the beauty of modern life,

and I think with paintings like the Gare Saint-Lazare,

Monet is taking up that challenge.

Artists didn't need to paint classical antiquity anymore.

They didn't need to paint biblical and history paintings.

-They were creating a new beauty

that was true to the new modern world in which they lived.

But for all our talk about the sense of spontaneity,

if you look at the surface, this is a heavily worked canvas.

Monet seems to be weaving color across the surface.

You can see the paint has built up over time.

There's no atmospheric perspective.

The atmosphere is in the foreground as well as in the background

all of which makes it impossible for us to forget

that we're looking at paint on canvas.

-Monet and the Impressionists are creating a new visual language

for a new modern world.

[music]