Did you know Monet painted the facade of Rouen Cathedral 30 time? Why? He wanted to observe how light affects a subject during different times of the day and seasons. Monet used the same approach with haystacks and of course, waterlilies.
Monet’s goal, writes art historian Virginia Spate, was “embody a continuous perceptual experience.” Monet wanted, in his own words, to “seize the moment of the landscape for that moment will never return.”
Within our distracted lives it seems like a worthy goal to find our own Rouen Cathedral. Why? To remind ourselves how a moment will never repeat itself and to appreciate that appearance in all of its singularity, complexity, and ultimately, beauty.
Our Rouen Cathedral doesn’t need to be painted – although that would be fascinating endeavor.
Our cathedral could an oak tree we pass by every day, a coffee shop, grocery store, or a church. It could be a plant in our living room or a grandchild.
What might happen if we took a picture of our cathedral for 30 days? How might that intention and attention change us? How might we come, like Monet, to embody an experience and learn to recognize that moment occurs only once.
My Rouen Cathedral will be the view I have of the Hudson River outside my window. I’m going to take my first picture today.
On Emotions 