Shown during the first Impressionist exhibition at the Paris Salon of 1874, The Railway, also known as Gare Saint-Lazare, is surely one of the most enigmatic paintings of the nineteenth century. Facing us, a beautiful young woman sits with a small dog in her lap and a book in her hand. An unseen train puffs up steam, as a young girl stands looking through a fence. Most critics at the time questioned Manet’s technique and subject matter. Few recognized it was the artist’s psychological narrative of Paris’ urban renewal program, and how railroads had destabilized social relations in the city of Paris. This authentic stretched canvas replica captures the original painting’s texture, depth of color, and even its brushstrokes, which are applied by hand. It is surrounded by an imported, antique gold-toned, delicately sculpted 4″-wide designer resin frame with a leaf motif. Proudly printed and framed in the USA using imported molding.
