At the end of the 18th century, many countries were slowly transforming into industrialized places; cities were getting bigger, industries were growing everywhere, and many technologies such as steam engines appeared. This phenomenon called the Industrial Revolution began first in England and then spread to France and Germany. Industrialization contributed to the development of society, the economy and, at some point, art, but it also left behind a devastated society. Indeed, the Industrial Revolution was a great inspiration for the artists who lived during that time. For example, the French impressionist artist Claude Monet painted La Gare de Saint-Lazare (1877) at the beginning of the revolution. Adolph Menzel, a German realist painter, also depicted the revolution with his painting The Iron Rolling Mill (1875) and William Blake, a British Romantic artist, wrote a poem titled “London” (1794) in which the main theme is revolution . Although they all come from different cultural movements, including impressionism, realism and romanticism, they all describe the effects of the industrial revolution with a pessimistic view. The Impressionist movement began in 1874 in Paris, created by, among others, Claude Monet. The movement took place during the industrialization that began around 1850 in France. Impressionist painters loved to paint scenes of everyday life such as Parisian leisure and the activities of modern life. They painted scenes of people, mostly bourgeois, in cafes, theaters, and concerts (Janson 706). In other words, artists found their inspiration in everyday outdoor scenes. The impressionist movement attempted to change the pictorial convention created by the art academy and including modern life was one of the characteristics… the medium of paper… gives an impression of oppression and pessimism. Works Cited Blake, William. Course package on literary themes “London”, ed. Stephen P. Adamian. Quebec: Cegep Champlain St-Lawrence 2013.Edmunson, Mark. “The America of William Blake, 2010.” Chronicle of Higher Education 57.10 (2010): B11-B12. Premier of academic research. Network. March 12, 2014. Finocchio, Ross. "French Realism of the 19th Century" in Heilbrunn's Chronology of Art History. 2000. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. March 12, 2014.< http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm >Janson, Harry W. History of Art. 5th edition. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995. Print.Rioux, Jean-Pierre. The industrial revolution 1780-1880. Paris: Seuil, 1971. Print.Welton, Jude. Impressionism. Paris: Gallimard, 1993. Print.Wildenstein, Daniel. Monet or the triumph of impressionism. Paris: Taschen Wildenstein Institute, 2003. Print.