Édouard Manet’s “The Railway” is one of the most famous paintings in the world, but when it first debuted in 1874, critics hated it. To them, it seemed trivial—just a woman and child near a train station. What they missed was the deeper meaning. This painting symbolized change. Paris was modernizing at a rapid pace, and railways were transforming the city, accelerating the rhythm of life. In the painting, the woman and child are right next to each other, but they’re disconnected. The child is fi

Before Impressionism took hold, Édouard Manet was already painting the pulse of modern Paris. Born into a prosperous Parisian family, Manet prepared to join the navy before devoting himself to art under the painter Thomas Couture. Manet rejected the rigid standards of the French Academy and sought to capture the world around him with unflinching honesty and modern flair. His portraits and city scenes buzzed with the energy of Parisian life, from quiet interiors to the bustle of cafés and train s