Rouen Cathedral. Impression

- (Monet) (1840 1926), French painter. Representative of impressionism. Subtle in color, landscapes filled with light and air; in the 1890s sought to capture the fleeting states of the light-air environment at different times of the day (the “Haystacks” series... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (monet) Claude Oscar (1840, Paris - 1926, Giverny, France), French artist, representative of impressionism. Born into a grocer's family. When Monet was six years old, his family moved to Le Havre, where the future artist met E.... ... Art encyclopedia

MONET, CLAUDE OSCAR (Monet, Claude Oscar) (1840 1926), French artist, one of the founders of impressionism. Born on November 14, 1840 in Paris in the family of a grocer. Five years later his family moved to Le Havre. Around 1856 under the leadership of Louis Eugene... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

- (Monet) (1840 1926), French painter. One of the main creators of the impressionist method. He studied with E. Boudin, attended the Suisse Academy (185 60) and the workshop of C. Gleyre (1862 63) in Paris. He was influenced by C. Corot, G. Courbet, E. Manet.... ... Art encyclopedia

Monet Claude Oscar (14.2.1840, Paris, 6.12.1926, Giverny, Normandy), French landscape painter, one of the founders of impressionism. He studied with E. Boudin in Le Havre (1858-59), at the Suisse Academy (1859-60) and in the workshop of C. Gleyre (1862-63) in... ...

- (1840 1926) French painter. Representative of impressionism. Subtle in color, landscapes filled with light and air; in the 1890s sought to capture the fleeting states of the light-air environment at different times of the day (Haystacks series, 1890 91 ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Monet- Claude (Monet, Claude) 1840, Paris 1928, Giverny. French painter, founder of impressionism. Monet's artistic talent manifested itself early: while still studying at college in Le Havre, he became famous for his caricatures. In 1858 he met with... ... European art: Painting. Sculpture. Graphics: Encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Edouard Manet. Claude Monet Oscar Claude Monet ... Wikipedia

- (Monet) Claude Oscar (14.2.1840, Paris, 6.12.1926, Giverny, Normandy), French landscape painter, one of the founders of Impressionism. He studied with E. Boudin in Le Havre (1858-59), at the Suisse Academy (1859-60) and in the workshop of C. Gleyre (1862-63) ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Books

Claude Monet Late Works, Astakhov Yu.. The book is dedicated to the late works of the French painter, founder of impressionism, Claude Mo ie. Working in the open air, he, like other impressionists, saw the transformation of nature,...
Claude Monet. A collection of poster paintings with reproductions of world masterpieces of painting. This publication is dedicated to the work of the famous French impressionist artist, who revolutionized the idea of art - Oscar Claude Monet. He made a real revolution in the world...

Rouen Cathedral by Claude Monet

Era, style, direction - impressionism

The cathedral in Rouen, the ancient capital of the Roman province in northern Gaul, built on the very spot where we see it now, is the first religious Christian building. Its construction was resumed at the beginning of the second millennium AD, but after a fire in 1200 the cathedral required thirty years of reconstruction, as a result of which it was restored in the “flaming” Gothic style. The main facade was rebuilt over several centuries. For four hundred years the building was rebuilt and strengthened, the stylistic unity was broken, nevertheless the cathedral looked very picturesque, Monet was simply fascinated by it.

Monet's largest cycle of works is dedicated to the Rouen Cathedral, or more precisely, to its western facade, decorated with sculpture reflecting the development trends of French Gothic; The façade is flanked by two large towers - the Saint-Roman Tower to the north and the Butter Tower to the south. The name of the latter is due to the fact that funds received from grateful citizens who were allowed to eat butter during Lent were invested in its construction.

Monet arrived in Rouen, a city located in northern France, on February 5, 1892, and rented a room at the Angletaire Hotel on Avenue Boieldieu. He painted his first view of the cathedral's façade from a hotel window. Then the artist went to Paris for some time. Upon his return, he obtained permission to work, sitting in the window of the Fernand Levy fashion store, overlooking the cathedral square.

The series dedicated to the Rouen Cathedral consists of fifty paintings executed in the same format. This cycle occupies an important place in Monet’s work; the artist worked on it systematically, with special care, as never before. Every half hour he tried to capture the fleeting states of the light-air environment and convey subtle half-tones of color. On April 3, Monet wrote to Alice Hoscheda: “Every day I discover something new, something I have not seen before.” The store owner, who noticed that female visitors were reacting strangely to the artist’s presence, asked him to henceforth hide behind a screen and limit his activities to the morning hours. On February 15 of the following year, Monet returned to Rouen, staying at the same hotel and staying there until March 15. He deliberately chose the same period as last year, wanting to work under the same lighting, but nevertheless was forced to slightly change the angle of view, moving to the building of the Eduard Moki plant on Bolshoi Most Street. The new viewing location was located in close proximity to the hotel, from the windows of which Monet first captured the view of the cathedral. The rooms reserved for workshops were located on the second floor, from their windows overlooking the cathedral square, Monet had a magnificent view of the cathedral. The artist chose a high point of view, allowing him to capture the object as much as possible, from which he could not move a great distance. The majestic appearance of the facade, occupying the entire space of the canvas, made a stunning impression on the viewer with its power.

Monet immortalized the appearance of the cathedral, which became a symbol of France, without attaching much importance to its architectural features, being interested, first of all, in the color reflections on the stone at different angles of refraction of the sun's rays. The building completely dissolves in the light-air environment characteristic of a certain time of day: at dawn it is shrouded in moist air vapor, at sunset it is illuminated by warm pink rays, the fluctuations of the bright midday light give it power. In windy weather, the surface of the stone appears pockmarked, and on sunny days it appears dark gray.

While working on the series, the artist was in an anxious, confused state of mind; Dissatisfied with himself, he destroyed many of the paintings from this cycle. In the same letter to Alice Osheda, he wrote: “At night I was overcome by nightmares, the cathedral seemed to collapse on me, knocking me off my feet. It was sometimes blue, sometimes red, sometimes yellow.”

In the Rouen Cathedral series, the main structural element is light, which ignites the colors and reflects off the stone surface, imitating the shape of objects and giving depth to the three-dimensional image. The artist no longer uses neutral tones to convey shadows; there are no clearly defined areas on the canvas with a predominance of dark or light. The shadows are painted in bright colors. Atmospheric effects are transferred to the canvas, it seems that time has frozen for a moment. Light seems to reveal the immaterial nature of objects, nature finds its harmony in light and eternal movement: every moment its appearance is transformed.

Monet began to work early in the morning, without waiting for seven o'clock, with backlight, as the sun rose behind the cathedral, and its rays fell on the building from behind, barely highlighting the contours of the towers and spiers. At noon, when the sun was at its zenith, the entire building was illuminated by dazzling sunlight, leaving only the portals obscured by the façade in the shadows. In the afternoon, towards evening, the shadows of nearby houses painted the facade in various shades of blue. This is how Georges Clemenceau, an art critic and close friend of Monet, who often visited his house in Giverny and a true admirer of his talent, described his impressions of the series of “cathedrals”: “At first, the gray series is a huge gray mass, which gradually brightens more and more; then a white series, imperceptibly moving from a faint flicker to an ever-increasing play of light, culminating in the flashes of a rainbow series; and then the blue series, where the light softens again into blue, melting like a bright heavenly vision.” For the sake of liberating visual perception, Monet even sacrificed perspective - an immutable principle of European fine art since the 15th century. His painting style shows the influence of Japanese prints, which became widespread in France in the 1860s.

Repeating the motif dozens of times, transforming in the rays of light at different times of the day, Monet changed the generally accepted idea of the painting as a complete, self-sufficient work. The same Clemenceau wrote: “The artist consciously creates 20 paintings for one motif, as if wanting to convince us that it is possible and even necessary to create dozens, hundreds and even thousands of works, reflecting every moment of life, every heartbeat. The naked eye can see that the appearance of the cathedral is constantly transformed in the rays of light. Even the attentive eye of an outside observer is able to catch these changes and notice subtle fluctuations. What can we say about the painter, whose eye is much more perfect. Monet, being an artist ahead of his time, teaches us to perceive visual images and see the world more subtly."

The series of “cathedrals” was completed on April 14, 1893; at the final stage, Monet worked in his home studio. On May 10, 1895, twenty paintings from this cycle were exhibited at the Durand-Ruel Gallery in Paris and were a huge success.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://artclassic.edu.ru/

Claude Monet is an outstanding impressionist artist of the 19th century. His paintings surprise with their freshness and naturalism. Monet painted very vividly, was attentive to the smallest details and masterfully conveyed the color scheme.

Impressionism

Art historians around the world consider Claude Monet to be one of the iconic representatives of the movement called “impressionism.” This trend in world painting was created by several artists and quickly spread in Europe. The main idea of the Impressionist school was to convey the impression that the landscape made, right on the spot. Previously, artists worked in workshops, drawing non-existent landscapes or some things from memory. The new direction broke stereotypes about painting in general.

Claude Monet: the beginning of the journey

The Impressionists refreshed landscape painting and made it more realistic, albeit instead of detailing and “slicking” the composition. The naturalness of the paintings of such artists is more fascinating than the decorative fantasies of the early masters. Claude Monet did not immediately join the Impressionists, due to his age. As a young man, he met one of the founders of the school, Eugene Boudin. This man went on walks with Monet and helped him learn to draw from life. Despite the age difference, Eugene saw talent in Monet, and both artists were also teachers

About the series of paintings “Rouen Cathedral”

Rouen Cathedral is not only about architecture. This is also the name of a series of stunning works by Claude Monet. His paintings look like many copies of photographs, each of which has some kind of filter applied. However, if you look closely, you can find many differences. Each work depicts the cathedral differently than the previous one. It's all about the lighting. At different times of the day, the source of light - the sun - is located at different points in the sky. By illuminating the composition of the cathedral in different ways, the luminary changes the location of the shadows on the building, creating bizarre shapes.

It is impossible to imagine how much the artist loved this miracle of architecture if he painted so many paintings with its image. From Monet’s paintings, the cathedral appears to the viewer in a completely different way: mysterious, lost or confident, cheerful. Weather conditions change the atmosphere of the painting, and with it the mood that the artist conveys.

Creativity in the fate of Claude Monet

In addition to facts, any work of art is influenced. Thus, an artist in a bad mood will never paint a light, joyful picture. Using the “Rouen Cathedral” series, you can not only imagine the vagaries of the weather in the city, but also the state of mind of Claude Monet.

The period of life during which the work on “The Cathedral” occurred was extremely difficult for the painter. He doubted, but still created for several years. Sometimes Monet did not finish his work on the spot, but completed it in the studio. However, this did not make his paintings any less vibrant and impressive. After all, Monet’s main task, like his friends at art school, was to convey an impression.

The artist wanted to show how indistinguishable the line between light and shadow is, how the rays of the sun can refract and bizarrely change the shape of stone arches, buttresses and towers that cannot be changed. Indeed: it is difficult for many to understand how the same color can take on different shades under different lighting conditions. Using the example of the works “Rouen Cathedral”, Claude Monet questions the concept of color, thereby challenging his time.

Cathedral on a sunny day

The paintings where the cathedral is bright were painted during the day. Depending on the sun and mood, Monet puts strokes of yellow, bluish, ultramarine “reflexes” on the walls of the cathedral. If you look closely, the buildings in the “sunny” paintings consist of solid spots of light of different colors and shades. Monet's skill lies in the fact that he was able to convey form without using outlines or a sufficient amount of shadow. The artist simply sketched a lot of sun rays - and the beautiful paintings of the “Rouen Cathedral” series turned out. Claude Monet painted vividly, energetically, and his emotions are conveyed to the audience.

Monet's hazy paintings

Studying Claude Monet's series dedicated to the Rouen Cathedral, you can see that the artist really liked the magical time of day called twilight. The artist depicted the Rouen Cathedral as mysterious, lost in the morning fog. This light, translucent haze gives the building a romantic feel. Sometimes the haze envelops the cathedral so much that all the shades become pastel, barely distinguishable. However, the lack of contrast here is on purpose. Violet, blue, lilac and warm yellow shades smoothly shimmer, creating a feeling of soft radiance... In the morning paintings, the cathedral looks like a truly holy place.

Overcast

The Cathedral before the Rain, painted by Claude Monet, is a special work of art. There are almost no warm shades in this picture: only cold gray and bluish ones. Here and there brown passages of arches are visible. It seems as if the cathedral was not built of stone, but woven from hundreds that could rain at any moment. Monet's brushstrokes resemble heavy drops that are about to fall from the sky. Hanging over the building seems very heavy, just like the lines of the architectural elements of the cathedral.

Evening Cathedral

Monet's "Rouen Cathedral" is the clearest example of impressionism. In paintings painted in the afternoon, towards evening, there is much more sadness than in others. Monet uses reddish and copper tones to depict evening studies of the cathedral. Sometimes there are shades of only one color: red, blue or brown, ocher.

Harmony in brown tones - a gloomy image of the cathedral “against the light”. All details of the structure are in shadow and partial shade, and a light yellow bright sky stands out in the background. The contrasts of the picture and the simultaneous combination of all shades are delightful.

Where is: d'Orsay Museum, impressionist hall
What to look at: find differences from the cathedrals stored in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow).

All four paintings are NOT from the Musee d'Orsay. To find out the place of "registration", just hover your mouse over the reproduction.

The series dedicated to the Rouen Cathedral consisted of fifty paintings made in the same format. This cycle occupies an important place in Monet’s work; the artist worked on it systematically, with special care, as never before. Every half hour he tried to capture the fleeting states of the light-air environment and convey subtle half-tones of color. On April 3, Monet wrote to Alice Hoscheda: “Every day I discover something new, something I have not seen before.” The store owner, who noticed that female visitors were reacting strangely to the artist’s presence, asked him to henceforth hide behind a screen and limit his activities to the morning hours. On February 15 of the following year, Monet returned to Rouen, staying at the same hotel and staying there until March 15. He deliberately chose the same period as last year, wanting to work in the same lighting, but nevertheless was forced to slightly change his angle of view, moving to the building of the Eduard Moki plant on Bolshoy Most Street. The new viewing location was located in close proximity to the hotel, from the windows of which Monet first captured the view of the cathedral. The rooms reserved for workshops were located on the second floor, from their windows overlooking the cathedral square, Monet had a magnificent view of the cathedral. The artist chose a high point of view, allowing him to capture the object as much as possible, from which he could not move a great distance. The majestic appearance of the facade, occupying the entire space of the canvas, made a stunning impression on the viewer with its power.

Normandy is a region of modern France with an ancient history. The Romans called this area Celtic Gaul. At the same time, the first settlement arose in the place where the city of Rouen (France) is located today. As the administrative center of Normandy, it annually welcomes thousands of tourists who come to explore local attractions, including the famous Cathedral.

Capital of the Duke of Normandy

Already in the 3rd century AD. e. Rouen was a prosperous city in Roman Gaul with baths and an amphitheater. It is not known exactly when the local residents adopted Christianity, but the work of the Rouen bishop Victricius, dated to the end of the 4th century, has been preserved, where it is reported that at that time a Christian basilica was being built in the city.

Gaul was later conquered by the Franks and by the middle of the 9th century, when the Norman raids began, it was part of the West Frankish kingdom. During these raids, Rouen was repeatedly sacked by warlike Normans. Finally, in 911, the Frankish king Charles III, in accordance with the peace treaty concluded, declared Rollo, the leader of the Normans, duke of the territory he had conquered.

The duchy became known as Normandy, and Rouen became its capital. Rollo, like many of his fellow tribesmen, converted to Christianity, receiving the name Robert at baptism. Rouen Cathedral is where the remains of the first Duke of Normandy rest today.

From Romanesque basilica to Gothic cathedral

The first Christian temple in Rouen was destroyed during one of the Norman raids. The building was not restored, but in its place, after the formation of the duchy in the 10th century, another basilica in the Romanesque style with a baptistery was built. From the ancient structure, only the crypt has survived to this day, which can be seen when visiting Rouen Cathedral.

The austere architecture of the Romanesque style was replaced by the sublime Gothic style. Like many other churches in France, the Rouen Cathedral in the 12th century began to be built in accordance with the new architectural style. The work lasted for several centuries, so the temple itself can be considered a unique illustration of the history of Norman Gothic.

Tower of Saint Romain

The Saint-Romain Tower is the oldest surviving part of the cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of Rouen. Below it is the baptistery, reminiscent of the Romanesque basilica that once stood on this site.

The tower is named after one of the bishops of the city - Romain, who lived in the 7th century, who, according to legend, defeated the monster that lived in the Seine. It is a pity that Saint Romain could not save the tower that bears his name during the Second World War. As a result of the Allied bombing, the Rouen Cathedral was greatly damaged, in particular, only the walls remained of the Saint-Romain Tower.

During the twelve post-war years, restoration work was carried out in the cathedral. But let's return to the history of the tower. Its construction began in 1145, in the early Gothic era, and the last floors were completed in the late Gothic era. There are 813 steps leading to the top of the 82-meter building, which rises above the nave.

Since the 16th century, the Saint-Romain Tower was crowned by a tin-covered wooden spire, until in 1822 it burned down from a direct lightning strike. Later it was replaced by a metal one with four turrets, although one of them was demolished several years ago by a strong hurricane that swept over the north of France.

Architectural eclecticism

Rouen Cathedral, the architecture of which forms a single ensemble with the archbishop's palace, is one of the important monuments of French medieval Gothic.

True, its planning scheme with radial chapels around the apse is inherent in the earlier Romanesque style. The colonnade surrounding the vast altar of the temple was also considered an outdated architectural solution at the beginning of the 13th century.

But the façade with its stone ligature, many arches, and a string of statues of saints and apostles is a striking example of Norman Gothic at its peak. The Tour de Beur, that is, the Butter Tower, was built in this style, the yellowish stone for which was brought from Wales.

The central cross of the cathedral is crowned by a lantern tower with the tallest spire in all of France. This spire forged from iron was installed in the 19th century, and against the backdrop of medieval architecture it looks too technologically advanced.

What you can't miss

The Rouen Cathedral cannot fail to impress, especially on those visiting it for the first time. The height of the ceiling in the central part of the temple is comparable to the height of a modern twenty-story building, and the length of the central passage is 137 m. Under the ceiling, instead of the planned balconies, openwork windows were made.

Cathedrals often served as burial places for rulers and church prelates. In addition to the tomb of the first Duke of Normandy, Rollon and his son, the heart of Richard the Lionheart rests in the Rouen Cathedral and the sarcophagi of several archbishops are installed.

Medieval Normandy was famous for its craftsmen who made stained glass windows of an unusual azure color. Therefore, it is not surprising that Rouen Cathedral also possesses these 13th-century artifacts.

A description of the temple would be incomplete without saying a few words about the Chapel of the Virgin Mary. Here, in addition to stained glass windows, you can get acquainted with the main icons of the cathedral and examine medieval carved benches and panels.

Rouen Cathedral by Monet

The Cathedral became world famous thanks to a series of works by the French impressionist Claude Monet. The artist worked on it for more than two years, periodically coming to Rouen to capture the western façade of the temple at different times of the day.

In total, Monet created fifty paintings in one format. The first of them was painted by the artist in a hotel room located opposite the cathedral. On his next visit to Rouen, Monet worked in a store window whose windows overlooked the square in front of the temple. Returning a year later, the artist rented a factory workshop for his studio with a magnificent view of the Rouen Cathedral.

Monet tried to notice and capture on canvas subtle changes in the light environment depending on the time of day and weather conditions. Every half hour, he carefully recorded fluctuations in color shades, thus achieving a gradual transformation of the appearance of the cathedral in the rays of sunlight.

Curiosities of the Cathedral

Claude Monet was not the only one who was inspired by Rouen Cathedral. Interesting facts are also associated with the name of the French writer Gustave Flaubert. As a native of Rouen, he was no doubt well acquainted with the main temple of the city. In particular, a stained glass window dedicated to the story of St. Julian the Hospitaller inspired Flaubert to write one of his “Three Tales.”

Observing the installation of an iron spire over the central cross of the cathedral, Flaubert sarcastically described such an architectural solution as the whim of an enraged steam boiler manufacturer. Nevertheless, the spire branded by the writer brought Rouen Cathedral the glory of the tallest building in the world in 1876-1880.

Returning to Monet, we note that he destroyed some of his paintings with views of the Rouen Cathedral, and approximately 30 of the remaining ones were presented to the public in 1895. Monet sold some of them for 3-5 thousand francs, and not so long ago one painting from the famous cycle was has already been sold for $24 million.

Cultural heritage of the country

Rouen Cathedral is located in the historical center of the city, surrounded by well-preserved medieval, baroque and half-timbered houses. To appreciate the restrained beauty of Gothic architecture and feel the spirit of the distant Middle Ages, a leisurely inspection of the main temple of the city is required.

Rouen (France) spends a considerable part of the city budget on maintaining its historical attractions, in particular on the restoration of the cathedral, declared a cultural heritage of the country.