Monet’s series paintings of the 1890s—multiple variations of a
single motif conceived, executed, and exhibited as a group—are
among his most inventive and remarkable works. In the winter of
1892 the artist spent several months studying and painting the
façade of Rouen Cathedral in his native Normandy. From rooms
facing the cathedral across a square, Monet concentrated on the
analysis of light and its effects on the forms of the façade,
changing from one canvas to another as the day progressed. Later
he extensively reworked the thirty paintings of the cathedral
series in his studio at Giverny. Their encrusted surfaces of
dry, thickly layered paint evoke the rough texture of weathered
stone, absorbing and reflecting light like the walls of the
cathedral itself. Rouen Cathedral Façade and Tour d'Albane
(Morning Effect) - Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926 - 106.1 x
73.9 cm (41 3/4 x 29 1/8 in.) - Medium or Technique - Oil on
canvas - Accession Number - Not on view