La Seine et le pont du chemin de fer d’Argenteuil (1885 or 1887)

Caillebotte, Gustave (1848-1894)

La Seine et le pont du chemin de fer d’Argenteuil (The Seine and the Railroad Bridge at Argenteuil)
1885 or 1887
Oil on canvas, 115.6 x 154.9 cm
Brooklyn MuseumNew York

For Gustave Caillebotte the suburban town of Argenteuil was an ideal modern landscape, where nature, industry, and leisure coexisted. Here, in sweeping brushwork, the artist depicts one of the most significant nineteenth-century symbols of modernity—the steam train—about to cross the concrete and iron railroad bridge spanning the Seine. The cropped edges of his composition and its dramatic perspective suggest the influence of photography on his work.

Independently wealthy, Caillebotte was a key source of financial support for many of his fellow painters, notably Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro. (BkM)

See also:

• Argenteuil (France)