The series of the Cathedrals, comprising thirty oil paintings executed between 1892 and 1894, depicts the facade of Rouen Cathedral always from the same perspective, but each time different, depending on the lighting conditions.
The featured cathedral is a monumental Gothic architecture built between 1145 and 1250. Located in Rouen, in northern Normandy, during the second half of the 19th century, it became a thriving commercial and industrial center. In 1892, Monet moved to Rouen, fascinated by the solemnity of the cathedral, whose facade was already repeatedly reproduced in photography. Monet seems to exploit precisely this aspect, combined with the luministic and coloristic research undertaken years before, to initiate the series.
An important aspect to underline is the complete dematerialization and loss of importance of the Cathedral: a subject so visually “bulky” seems to evaporate under a shower of light, each time of a different color, first with gray tones and then gradually stronger and more impactful. Light and its changing nature are the true protagonists of the series.
The Cathedrals cause Monet considerable inner turmoil: he undergoes indeed a hard and intense work that, however, will never fully satisfy him.
Among the main supporters of the series is Georges Clemenceau, who has the opportunity to see part of it at the Durand-Ruel gallery, after having appreciated it for the first time in Giverny in the private studio of the painter. The Cathedrals become almost an obsession for Clemenceau.
Monet thus becomes the precursor of a visual evolution that will change the world’s view. As with the Water Lilies series, the Cathedrals too should be indivisible, to be understood as a single visual experience.