La Construction du Sacré-Cour c. 1910

Eugène Ogé rendered "La Construction du Sacré-Cœur" using lithography. Rising above the Parisian skyline, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, still in scaffolding, dominates the composition as a powerful symbol of faith and national revival. The unfinished structure is not merely a building; it is a monument in progress. This upward reach has echoes through time, from the Tower of Babel, signifying humankind's ambition to reach the divine, to the Gothic cathedrals piercing the medieval sky, each striving to touch the heavens. Here, Ogé captures not only stone and mortar but also the emotional and psychological force of collective aspiration. Observe the presence of cats in the foreground. Often associated with the occult, they remind us of subconscious processes and the hidden life that exists even amidst grand construction projects. The building becomes a palimpsest, layering historical, cultural, and emotional meanings. In its unfinished state, the basilica mirrors the perpetual human quest for meaning, an eternal cycle of building, destruction, and rebuilding that echoes through the ages.