Snow Effect at Argenteuil

Claude Monet painted this view from the upstairs window of the house he rented in Argenteuil in the 1870s. Originally a small town on the Seine River, Argenteuil quickly became an industrialized suburb after the 1851 expansion of the Western Railway line that connected it to Paris. This painting records travelers trudging to and from Argenteuil's pink railroad station after a surprisingly large snowfall. The darkly clad, silhouetted figures and the use of violet and lavender reveal the influence of Japanese ukiyo-e (floating world) woodcut prints, which Monet fervently admired and collected.

Gift of the Laura Nelson Kirkwood Residuary Trust...