Rouen Cathedral at Noon 1894

This is one of Claude Monet’s paintings of Rouen Cathedral, made in France during the 1890s. These paintings are more than just pretty pictures; they represent a significant shift in the art world. Monet rented spaces opposite the Cathedral to capture how light transformed the building's appearance throughout the day. In doing so, he challenged the traditional role of the church as an untouchable subject. Monet's focus wasn't on religious meaning, but on the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. The Cathedral becomes a vehicle for exploring visual perception rather than a symbol of faith. The art institutions of the time, like the Salon system, were struggling to make sense of these paintings. Were they landscapes, portraits, or something else entirely? To truly appreciate these paintings, we need to dig into the art criticism, exhibition reviews, and letters from the time. By doing this, we can understand how profoundly Monet questioned the established norms of art.