Contemplating Art on Your Montreal Commute

Colourful stained glass while waiting for train

Taking the Montreal metro is very convenient, costs C$3.75 for Zone A fares (which was the only area we went around), and if you miss a train, the next one comes in a few minutes. 

What was very interesting for me was to see a lot of public art in the metro stations, either around the entrance, or by a stairwell, or above the train tracks. It was so unexpected to see art in a mode of public transportation that it took me by surprise.

The Tree of Life by Joseph Rifesser

The Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) provides around 1.4 million trips per day in its metro and bus network, and the metro is a kind of underground art gallery, featuring murals, sculptures, and stained glass panels in most of its 68 stations around the city.

When it comes to murals, mosaics are popular because they are highly durable and low maintenance, the colours don't fade and they are relatively easy to clean -- even graffiti can be removed.

I spotted a few pieces that caught my eye -- a colourful disc, more colour from panels of stained glass, and a sculpture hewed from wood.

The STM even has a website documenting the different art works, helping passengers learn more about the artists, and hopefully encourage them to interact with the pieces, or at least contemplate them during their commute.