View of Rouen c. 1869 - 1872

This is Matthijs Maris’ pencil drawing ‘View of Rouen,’ held at the Rijksmuseum. Maris, working in the late 19th century, was part of a generation grappling with rapid industrialization and social change. Here, the ghostly outline of Rouen emerges through a delicate haze. Cathedrals, buildings, and trees, rendered in soft grays, evoke a sense of transience. The lone figure in the foreground adds to the feeling of quiet contemplation. Maris, like many artists of his time, was influenced by the Romantic movement, which emphasized emotion and individualism. His choice to depict Rouen through a veil of obscurity can be viewed as a response to the changing world, a turn away from the clarity of realism toward a more dreamlike, subjective experience. In his own words, Maris sought to capture the “inner visions” that haunted him. Consider the socio-economic conditions of the time, where industrial expansion was altering landscapes. This drawing is not just a view, but a statement about memory, loss, and the search for meaning in a transforming world.