How does this artwork elucidate its Description?
Each of the 37 paintings shares common features. Across the horizon, Monet portrays the Charing Cross Bridge using thin lines. Although the bridge is consistent across his paintings, it is not entirely representative of the actual bridge. John Sweetnam explains, "Comparisons with the actual bridge show that Monet compressed the solid and open parts of the deck into a mass that is both more consolidated and more extreme in its horizontally."Although the paintings share much in common, they also have notable differences. In certain versions, Monet includes an obscured train that blows smoke as it travels across the bridge. Some paintings depict a small boat in the bottom left corner; others depict Big Ben and the Victoria Tower in the top right corner. The towers are shadowy outlines at best, leading Rebecca Stern to suggest that Monet "obscures all record of standardized time in his series.”
Victoria Tower Big Ben series Charing Cross Bridge