On le Pont de Europe, Gustave Caillebotte.
Caillebotte is easily one of my favorite lesser-known Impressionists — in this blue, monochromatic painting, you can feel the bleakness of the city- the hard lines really define the urban setting. The gentlemen are dressed very similarly, giving them a sense of anonymity often described in urban paintings; they all seem the same. This painting was possibly inspired by Monet, who painted several variations of the train station that this scene overlooks. However, Caillebotte did not exhibit this painting with them so as to prevent competition between the two Impressionists.
