Rouen Cathedral, red, Sunlight 1892

Claude Monet painted this rendition of the Rouen Cathedral using oil on canvas. Monet's series of paintings depicting the Rouen Cathedral were produced in the 1890s, a period marked by significant social and political change in France, as well as a shift in artistic values toward subjective experience. Here, Monet captures the cathedral at different times of day, and in varying weather conditions, focusing on how light transforms the facade. This approach challenges the traditional, academic painting which prioritized the subject, while reinforcing a focus on the artist's perception. It's as if Monet asks, how do we reconcile the permanence of the cathedral with the ephemerality of experience? As you consider Monet's fleeting impressions, consider how the shifting atmospheric conditions are metaphors for our own transient existence. This series can be understood as more than an aesthetic exercise; it is a contemplation on time, memory, and the very nature of seeing.