Railways in Art
Sometimes we don't see the importance of things surrounding us. It's easy to get caught into the everyday sterilised perspective. Objects around us have little to no significance in our daily lives. But if you're like me, you know that everything has a history. Every single object be it small or large, has come about through a unique set of circumstances and will influence the lives of people in varying ways. Trains and railways are a great reminder of this, and I thought I'd share some of the research I've done on this topic.
The invention of steam trains
revolutionised travel in the mid to late nineteenth century. Train systems
signified a dramatic shift from the previously popular mode of travel by horse
and cart. It was
well known that French artists wholly embraced trains and railway stations as
their subject matter, with railway stations, bridges and trains themselves
frequently appearing in Impressionist paintings of the 19th century.
Train travel as a subject of painting was most notably explored by Claude Monet
and his close acquaintance, Édouard Manet. Trains were of interest to Monet and
Manet amongst many other artists as a subject influencing the daily life of many
Parisians- including artists- and changing the world around them.
The Invention and Implementation of Railways in France
The first railway systems appeared in France following the
invasion and the collapse of the Second Empire in 1870. They were a
feature of Napoleon III and Baron George-Eugene Haussmann’s implementation of
new infrastructure from 1848 to 1890. Known as ‘Haussmannization’, the process
was intended to solve urban problems through the rapid development of what
Haussmann envisioned as ‘the networked city’[1].
 |
| George Haussmann |
The
plan to refashion Paris with new technologies of machinery and capital[2] resulted
in an ambitious program that sought to reshape the urban environment with
features such as the railway, large boulevards and new bridges that would put
the spectacle of Paris on display[3]. Haussmanisation was the key point in which urban redevelopment transforms Paris into what we understand the city to be today. 
Trains
were a central feature of Haussmannization not only as a new aspect of the
city, but they were key means of transporting resources, raw materials and
labourers as well as tourists in and out of Paris for the project. The steam
engine therefore became an area of interest amongst society during the 19th
century not only because they altered the landscape with their existence, but
also because trains enabled the ongoing change being implemented around them.
The
shifting environment saw the destabilisation of daily life in Paris. The city was
in constant upheaval due to urban development, as it was pushed forward into industrial
transformation by Haussmann and his followers.[4] It was through this process that trains were implemented into the French landscape for the first time.
Trains and Art
Trains inspired many artists and famous works, more than you would think! This was because the urban redevelopment propelled by Haussmann’s plan was of great concern not only to society as a whole, but various groups such as French artists. Railways transformed the spatial plain and their
recurring appearance in everyday life during this process lead to the
naturalisation of these images into the landscape.
Aspects of railway travel
were incorporated into landscape scenes as they appeared, as artists turned to
new subjects and developed new styles appropriate to their environment[5].
An example of this is Monet’s study of a railroad bridge near his home in the paintings Railroad Bridge, Argenteuil (1873) and (1874) (above). In his 1873 painting, Monet expresses the utilitarian nature of the transforming landscape by constructing an abruptness in the angle of the bridge that extends beyond the picture plain. 
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This composition dramatically
speeds the gaze of the eye up towards the shore, mimicking the newfound
atmosphere of train travel. People moved at new speeds, and subsequently views things faster than ever before. The way the world was viewed and perceived was revolutionised through the commodification of speed. There were definite connections between the
physical habitat of French artists and the subject matter of their work.
Among those artists also embracing the railway as a subject of their works was Manet, whom lived close by to one of the largest stations at this time, the Gare Saint-Lazare. This reveals how close to home railways actually were amongst those living in urban districts. Railways became the ‘nucleus of modern urban life’[7], not only as a subject of art but a means of enabling people to travel into the metropolitan with relative ease.
 |
| The Railway by Manet (1872) depicts a building in the top left corner of the work- the front door and window of the studio he resided in from July 1872[6]. |
Train travel impacted all aspects of life, not only art, and did so because it was so close to home. This is indeed the case for Monet, who resided
outside of Paris in the east of Argenteuil. He frequently travelled to Paris on
trains not only to manage his work, but also to visit close friends Manet and
Caillebotte, who were also interested in change elicited by industrialisation[8].
Although trains were a controversial
aspect of the changing French environment, they were embraced as a source of
inspiration amongst peers whom resided in a similar approximate area to one
another, and resultantly experienced and shared the same urban space. Younger
artists such as Louis Anquetin and Norbert Goeneutte also moved from older
areas to the newer, developed in the district. The metropolitan area was home
to artists with related goals who wanted to pursue the world of modern life in
similar ways[9].
Railways were within artists’ living space and trains naturally became of
interest to these artists who were swept up in the impressionist style of
depicting their surroundings in a naturalistic style.
The treatment of the railway as a
motif varied between artists within the emerging Impressionist movement. Gustave
Caillebotte lived only ten minutes away from the depicted location in his
painting, The Pont de l’Europe
(c.1876-1880). He represented the bridge of the same name as a central location
of activity with heavy railway traffic and a meeting place for all classes of
society.
There is a strong sense of the public realm as a couple walks by the
bridge amongst other happenings. The relatively neutral hues of the work and
prominence of blue and grey express the dominance of the manmade world created
by trade and industrial progress[10]. Strong
diagonal bars of metal are the focus of the painting and convey the dominating
nature of industrial development. Caillebotte’s depiction of the railway is a
reflection of the changing economic and social conditions characterized by
Modernism.
Monet’s treatment of the subject differed by emphasising the role of the steam engine within nature. In his painting Gare St Lazare (1877), he opts to strip the station of ‘the façade in which contemporary chronicles made so much of’[11] by integrating the man made entity with nature in the landscape.
The train is
small in scale and lacks the engulfing power of other depictions and the wheels
are masked by steam, further obscuring the strength of its presence. Herbert
suggests that Monet pays homage to modern engineering in his paintings by beautifully
blending the industrial smoke into the clean air[12]. Writer Émile Zola said of Monet’s series on the Gare Saint Lazare, ‘ [they are] where
painting is today… artists have to find the poetry in train stations, the way
their fathers found the poetry in forests and rivers’[13].
In
early works trains were simply a feature of landscape paintings but they became
more prominent as subject matter with significant embedded meanings in works
such as those by Caillebotte and Monet. As evidenced by Monet’s series of 12
paintings on the Gare Saint Lazare, the railway was tangible evidence of manifestations
of the industrial revolution and as he depicted, were images of not only power
but also of vitality[14].
Railway Art in a Changing Society
It has also been suggested that the depiction of trains symbolised art as a democratic form and the evolution of Modernity in not only art but also society. This was felt amongst many Impressionist contemporaries. Reactions towards train art were varied among different social groups in Paris. This can be seen in the works of Manet, who chose to submit his work to the Salon -a prestigious annual event- and artists such as Monet who had works displayed at the Impressionist Exhibition. The salon embodied traditional thought and was known for its exclusivity, homing an illustrious oeuvre of participating artists. Manet felt as if the Salon was the only forum in which his talents could be truly recognised but the subject matter of trains was met with criticism each time he chose to exhibit works depicting trains.
His painting The Railway, exhibited at the Salon in 1874 caused a sensation[15] due to its ambiguities reflected in the subject matter. The criticism met from this painting not only reveals the different responses of society but also the varied responses by artists to the same motif.
Another emerging gallery known as the
Impressionists Exhibition revealed the ‘changing fabric of the city’[16] during
the Modern era. The exhibit was run by ‘societe anonyme’ led by Degas and
independent of the Salon. It sought to challenge the role of the Salon in art. Monet’s
series of 12 paintings depicting the Gare Saint-Lazaare were exhibited at the 3rd
Impressionist Exhibition in 1877. The response to his works amongst most young
artists contrasts greatly to Manet’s reception in the Salon.
Manet wished for
his depiction of trains to be accepted by critics while Monet subjected his
railways paintings to like-minded contemporaries. His Gare St Lazare series was
well received and noted for being able to convey sounds and sights relevant to
the subject[17].
To them the train was a monument, a ‘secularised Gothic cathedral’[18]. In
this sense, the train becomes a symbol of progressiveness and evolving nature
of society within France as they appeared more and more as subjects of
innovative artists.
Trains were perceived to be the symbol
of modernity. Central to Modern thought was the idea of human achievement. The
ability of man was embedded within the structures of railways much like the
monuments of history. As Bertrand Lemoine suggests, ‘train stations in France
[were] gaining monumentality, what they were losing in originality’[19]. The
impact of the steam engine in France led to railways being an important image
of how technology could progress. Rail transport also became an important civic
emblem representing a city- it held a special architectural status as the ‘most
visible and spectacular expression of new technology of the time’[20] and was
a catalyst for movement and change.
The Train was also a symbol of
modernity in this sense as freedom was expressed through the ability to travel.
The transformation from a mimetic form of travel was a ‘record [of] man’s
ability to surmount nature’[21]. Man
was no longer bound by the limits of met by the environment- just as distance
was an obstacle conquered by the invention of the steam engine. The railway
became, as what Zola describes, as the ‘queen of the industrial revolution’ as
it profoundly transformed previous notions of space and time[22]. ‘Art’
and ‘nature’ were not fixed realities but constantly changing mental
constructions[23].
Duranty suggests that the innovations of modernity also coincided with
fundamental changes in art[24]. Shifting
perceptions of technology and the rapid increase of machinery in everyday life
were a major factor in accepting the machine as enabling Modernity rather than
challenging it.[25]
Trains were of interest to French
artists as they symbolised the drastic change that was being undertaken not
only in society, but also the economy at that time. Railway travel, as a direct
product of industrial development, embodied the principles of modernist thought
emerging in the 19th century. Stations, bridges and trains became an
integral aspect of the French landscape as the metropolitan of Paris was
refashioned and country regions were urbanised and subsequently became
interconnected with the city centre in ways never achieved previously. Not only
did it signify a paradigm shift into the new era of mans domination of the
landscape, but train travel also enabled the beginnings of a tourism industry
and also revolutionised travel and the perception of time itself. It is for
this reason that the relationship between train travel and modernity are
irrevocably intertwined.
Bibliography
Bergdoll, Barry. European
Architecture 1750-1890. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Herbert, Robert L. From
Millet to Leger: Essays in Social Art History. London: Yale University,
2002.
Lemoine, Bertrand. Architecture
in France 1800-1900. Translated by Alexandra Bondfante. New York: Harry N.
Abrams, Inc., 1998.
Manet, Eduoard The
Railway, 1872. Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. (accessed
20 September 2013).
Moffett, Charles S. The
New Painting: Impressionism 1874-1886. Geneva: Richard Burton Sa.
Publishers, 1986.
Posenblum, Robert. 19th
Century Art Revised and Updated Edition. New York: Pearson Education Inc.,
1984.
Pride, Jennifer S. “Bathed in the Multitude: Images of
Paris Pre- and Post-Haussmann,” Curators
of Art Knowledge, September 9, 2009. Accessed October 6, 2013. http://www.kunstpedia.com/articles/bathed-in-the-multitude-images-of-paris-pre--and-post-haussmann.html.
Robinson, Marian S. “Zola and Monet: The Poetry of the
Railway.” Journal of Modern Literature
1 (1983): 55-70. Accessed September 29, 2013. (URL)
Thompson, Matt. “Modernity, Anxiety and the Development of
a Popular Railway Landscape Aesthetic 1809, 1879” in Trains, Literature, and Culture. (PAGE NUMBER). Lanhan: Lexington Books, 2011.
Wilson-Bareau, Juliet. Manet,
Monet, and the Gare Saint-Lazare. Edited by Sally Salvesen. Florence: Conti
Tipocolor, 1998.
Sedef’s Corner. “Modernity- Haussmannization of Paris and
the “Painters of Modern Life”” Accessed October 5, 2013. http://www.sedefscorner.com/2011/03/modernity-haussmannization-of-paris-and.html.
Soppelsa, Peter. “Finding Fragility in Paris: The Politics
of Infrastructure after Haussmann” The Western Society for French History
Journal 37 (2009): np. Accessed October 5, 2013.
Starostina, Natalia. “Ambiguous Modernity: Representations
of French Colonial Railways in the Third Republic” The Western Society for
French History Journal 38 (2010): np. Accessed October 5, 2013.
[1] Peter Soppelsa, “Finding Fragility in
Paris: The Politics of Infrastructure after Haussmann,” The Western Society for French History Journal 37 (2009): np.,
accessed October 5, 2013.
[2] Baryy Bergdoll, European Architecture 1750-1890 (United Kingdom: Oxford University
Press, 2000) 241-250.
[3] “Modernity- Haussmannization of Paris and
the “Painters of Modern Life,” Sedef’s Corner, accessed October 5, 2013.
http://www.sedefscorner.com/2011/03/modernity-haussmannization-of-paris-and.html.
[4] Jennifer S. Pride, “Bathed in the
Multitude: Images of Paris Pre- and Post-Haussmann,” Curators of Art Knowledge, September 9, 2009, accessed October 6,
2013.
http://www.kunstpedia.com/articles/bathed-in-the-multitude-images-of-paris-pre--and-post-haussmann.html.
[5] Charles S. Moffett, The New Painting: Impressionism 1874-1886 (Geneva: Richard Burton
Sa. Publishers, 1986) 20.
[6] Juliet
Wilson-Bareau, Manet, Monet, and the Gare
Saint-Lazare, ed. Sally Salvesen (Florence: Conti Tipocolor, 1998),
101-103.
[7] Robert Posenblum, 19th Century Art Revised and Updated Edition (New York: Pearson
Education Inc., 1984), 368.
[8] Robert L. Herbert,
From Millet to Leger: Essays in Social
Art History (London: Yale University, 2002) 16-17.
[9] Robert Posenblum, 19th Century Art Revised, 369.
[10] Juliet
Wilson-Bareau, Manet, Monet, and the Gare
Saint-Lazare, 65-87.
[11] Robert Herbert, From Millet to Leger: Essays in Social Art
History, 16-20.
[12] Robert Herbert, From Millet to Leger, 16-20.
[13] Juliet
Wilson-Bareau, Manet, Monet, and the Gare
Saint-Lazare, 105-106.
[14] Marian S. Robinson,
“Zola and Monet: The Poetry of the Railway.” Journal of Modern Literature 1 (1983): 61-69.
[15] Juliet
Wilson-Bareau, introduction, I.
[16] Juliet
Wilson-Bareau, Manet, Monet, and the Gare
Saint-Lazare, 4-6.
[17] Juliet
Wilson-Bareau, Manet, Monet, 87-106.
[18] Robert Posenblum, 19th Century Art Revised and Updated Edition,
367.
[19] Bertrand Lemoine, Architecture in France 1800-1900, trans.
Alexandra Bondfante (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1998) 146.
[20] Bertrand Lemoine, Architecture in France 1800-1900, 140-142.
[21] Robert Herbert, From Millet to Leger: Essays in Social Art
History, 10-20.
[22] Marian S. Robinson,
“Zola and Monet: The Poetry of the Railway.” 70.
[23] Robert Herbert, From Millet to Leger, 154.
[24] Robert Herbert, From Millet to Leger, 20.
[25] Robert Herbert, From Millet to Leger, 155.
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