Have you seen… …the Lady in a Railway Station with a Parasol?

Claude Monet, Sketch of a figure in the Open Air: Woman with a Parasol Facing Left,
1886,  131 x 88cm, Musee d'Orsay, Paris

I know what you are going to say, “That lady may be holding a parasol but she is definitely not in a railway station!” and…in one sense you would be right.  She is outdoors on a sunny hillside with scudding white clouds behind her and a fresh breeze blowing.  In fact, Monet painted this deliberately en plein air, or, in the open air, in order to convey the feeling of being outdoors. He wanted to, “…paint the beauty of the air...” [1] that the subject was in, and initially believed that he was attempting the impossible.  The idea was to show the subtle effects of changing light and shade in an outdoor environment where the weather could alter the view at any moment.

I actually think Monet has achieved the effect he was looking for.  It is a fresh sunny day and our lady’s scarf is blowing in the breeze, while the grasses around her bend and her skirt flows out in front of her.  The grass is full of bright colour, yellow, red, white, green and turquoise which changes to darker tones in the shadow cast by the figure. There is so much movement and a real sense of being on a hilltop.  So, why did I suggest that this lady is in a railway station?  Well, if you have ever seen this painting in its home in Paris, you will know what I mean.  The Musée d'Orsay used to be a railway station.

Musée d'Orsay when it was a Railway Station

The Musée d'Orsay today (photo: Alison Barker)

It was inaugurated on 14^th July 1900 and was the first station with electrified tracks, getting rid of the messy problems of vapour and soot.    After only thirty-nine years, however, these beautiful new facilities were outdated and on 23^rd November 1939 the trains stopped leaving and arriving.  The integral hotel that had been built at the same time and boasted a magnificent dining room, continued to do business until 1973.  That very year the station was listed, rescuing it from the threat of demolition.  Georges Pompidou, the French President at the time, agreed to the idea of housing nineteenth and early twentieth century art within the building, and the Musée d’Orsay was born.

When I first visited with a friend last year I was stunned by the space.  It is cathedral-like in its vastness and the stuccoed ceiling can be fully enjoyed quite close up from a purpose-built viewing platform at one end.  We also had fun looking through one of the massive clocks in the façade out to a sun-lit Paris and then enjoying dinner in the opulent surroundings of the original dining room. 

It is a wonderful and unique place and I would urge you to visit, not simply for the magnificent art within, but for the magnificent architecture itself.  The lady with a parasol in a railway station is waiting for you.

Alison Barker

Coming next: Have you seen...the Masterpiece that Thought it was a Table?

---

[1] Bolloch J (et al), Musée D’Orsay Visitor Guide, Editions Artlys, Paris, 2012, p.71