Monet's Cathedrals

Monet is known as an Impressionist. Well what does that mean? Well, as an Impressionist, it means he tended to focus on nature. If you were to go visit an art museum and look at Monet’s work though, you may find yourself looking at several paintings that don’t seem to involve nature at all. This may lead you to ask, if Monet is such a great Impressionist, why do several of his painting focus on such unnatural subjects? Well, in his article “Monet’s Cathedrals: A Point in Time”, Robert Knott picked out Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series as the moment that Monet’s style took a distinct turn. Monet approached the series initially as an Impressionist, trying to focus on the natural elements of the subject. Monet chose to focus on light, or rather the changing of light. Each painting in the series views the cathedral under different conditions. The time of day, the weather, to intensity of the light/shadow contrast; they all change throughout the series. However, one thing remains constant. The clock above the central archway always becomes the center of attention, especially upon viewing the series as a whole. It is the constant throughout. It is also a wonderful motif for what Monet was trying to present, as well as for his career.
Knott makes the observation that the clock is perceptively, the center of the painting. If not located in the exact center, it can be found not too far away. The layering of the painting also favors the clock. Toward the edges of many of the paintings in the series, the layering is quite thin comparatively, to suggest that it is fading away. However, the clock is always the most heavily layered aspect of the portrait. It literally stands out from the rest of the painting. The clock is so central and constant to the series that it defies the normal laws of perspective. The clock is always perfectly round, even when the cathedral is viewed from an angle. One painting in the series, “Rose Window”, illustrates the idea particularly well. Both the rose window and the clock are round. The cathedral is viewed from an angle though. The rose window then takes on an oval form, as perspective laws dictate, but the clock remains a perfect circle.
The clock contrasts often with the tone of the paintings in the series. If the cathedral is viewed in such a light as to give it a reddish/orange hue, then the clock is of a blue hue. If the cathedral is viewed in such a light as to give it a purplish/blue hue, then the clock has an orange hue. And if the cathedral is engulfed completely is shadow as to make it appear grey, the clock will appear as a brilliant white circle.
Before the series, one will notice that Monet stays true to his Impressionist roots and nature is the focus of his paintings. Knott points out that even in paintings set in locations impacted by human intervention, Monet has a way of making those human elements disappear. After the series, Monet begins to embrace the unnatural more, with a specific focus towards architecture. The clock, works well to show this change. Clocks are a symbol of time and change. The clock, as the central focus of the series, marks a change in Monet’s approach to his subjects.
I believe though that the clock is not a complete departure from his Impressionist roots. He still maintains the superiority of nature by juxtaposing it with the church. He takes a part of the church, the clock, and allows nature to overtake it. The face of the clock is always, throughout the series, unviewable thanks to the glare of the light. This takes the clock, the ultimate symbol of time, and by removing its face, makes it timeless. And time, a concept of man, is rendered insignificant.