Rouen Cathedral n.d.

Editor: This print, "Rouen Cathedral," is by Auguste-Louis Lepère, using etching and engraving. The intricate lines give the whole scene such incredible depth and almost a looming, gothic feel. What grabs your attention when you look at this work? Curator: What pulls me in is how Lepère uses the rigid geometry of the cathedral and its architecture, almost imprisoning it. The geometry seems softened at the top in the upper-right. Do you see how the geometric precision in the structure’s base gradually gives way to softer, blurred lines higher up? I wonder, does that mirror some aspiration to go higher, like in prayer, beyond constraints or is this just Lepère’s style of blending Realism and Impressionism? Editor: I do notice the sharp details in the architecture lower down, especially around the entrance and lower facades. What can we make of that contrast? Curator: Perhaps he's playing with ideas of earthly versus heavenly realms, something inherent to gothic cathedrals to begin with. Look how people appear to wander as grey shapes at the ground. Maybe he wanted to give viewers a feeling for scale and the power that medieval architecture has. What does this cityscape make *you* think? Editor: It makes me think about the artist’s position when depicting such architecture; almost as if one can truly be a part of that specific landscape. It seems grand yet serene at the same time. Curator: Right? It is all about perspective, after all! It invites us to reflect on the power and longevity of such grand structures, how they connect to faith, or question what happens when artists represent that vision. This was a fruitful, thought-provoking moment! Editor: Indeed! I feel like I’m walking away with a whole new way of looking at gothic art.