Houses of Parliament in Winter

Claude Monet captured the Houses of Parliament in stark winter conditions as part of his Thames series. The Gothic spires of Westminster emerge through cold, misty air, their familiar silhouette softened by the season's pale light. Monet worked from St Thomas' Hospital across the river, painting the same view under constantly shifting atmospheric conditions.

London's winter fog held particular appeal for Monet. The combination of industrial smoke and cold air created effects he couldn't find anywhere else in Europe. He wrote to his dealer that he needed to see all the paintings together, as none was truly finished until he could compare them. This methodical approach to serial painting defined his mature work.

The painting belongs to Impressionism, though these late works push toward something more abstract. The Musée d'Orsay houses this and other Parliament paintings, offering visitors a chance to see how Monet transformed the same subject through different seasons and times of day.