Four Re-Renderings from the Same Point of View
Below are several renderings of the Rouen
Cathedral façade from the same point of view:
- The first is synthesized from photographs taken in
January 1996;
- The second is synthesized from a painting of the
façade by Claude Monet, made between 1892 and 1894;
- The third is a blend of the first two, showing the
alignment of the Monet rendering with the photographic rendering;
- The fourth is synthesized from photographs taken in the mid-1890's.
Click on the images or scroll down to see
larger versions.
Notice how the Cathedral's façade has changed in the past century. The clock above the door, for example, is a prominent feature in Monet's paintings and the historic photographs, but appears to have been removed or lost since that time. Also missing from the modern photographs are the outer columns of saints that frame the flanks of the left and right doors. On the other hand, the inner spires at the top of the façade seem to have been added in the past hundred years, as they do not appear in Monet's paintings or the historic photographs.