MFA Boston, review by Kalyn Lai

Rouen Cathedral Façade

By Kalyn Lai

In the European wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, there are two paintings on display that are very similar but have their differences.  There are two paintings of the Rouen Cathedral.  The difference is that they are paintings of the cathedral at different times during the day.

The famous Claude Monet is the painter of these two paintings.  He has created thirty paintings of the Rouen Cathedral and two are located at the Museum of Fine Arts.  He focused greatly on the details of light and shadow and transferred canvases throughout the day to capture different time periods and concentrated on the brightness and darkness of the cathedral.  As an impressionist painter, he painted with thick layers of paint that are visible close up.  When standing far away, the paint gives the painting a rougher texture, but still has a clear visible image.

It was interesting to see two different views of the same place and same image.  I have seen other versions of these paintings at various museums. Every time I see them I am mesmerized by Monet’s ability to portray various points during the day just using light and shadow.  His impressionistic paintings are beautiful because up close, it is difficult to see the painting as a whole but it is possible to see every choppy little stroke and detail; far away, the view of the painting is more clear as to what the image is.  He is a talented artist and his abilities of an artist are shown in these paintings.