Léon-Jules Lemaître and the Gros Horloge in Rouen

The Gros horloge in Rouen, on a bright winters day.

When one thinks of Rouen and impressionist art it is usually Claude Monet’s name that immediately springs to mind, Camille Pissarro is another. But, there was a group of artists we rarely hear about who were painting in and around Rouen from the 1870s onwards who produced some stunning paintings of the area. Léon-Jules Lemaître’s paintings of the the Gros Horloge in Rouen city centre is just one example.

Le Gros-Horloge is one of Europe’s oldest working Medieval clocks that is now set on the ‘bridge’ of a 13th Century building that goes across the street. Léon-Jules Lemaître, a local artists, painted the clock and its bustling street three times. And although the cobblestones and some of the façades of the adjacent shops have changed today, as has the fashion of the people on the street, the scene today looks as much as it does in Lemaître’s paintings.

Léon-Jules Lemaître is one of a handful of artists that became known of as the l’école de Rouen. Other more well known names include Joseph Delattre, Charles Angrand and Charles Frechon. This group of artists were painting in the impressionist style as early as 1860s, and went on to develop a particular tradition of Normandy Impressionism. Not surprisingly, Rouen and the River Seine features prominently in their work.

As with Paris, there was in Rouen an established annual Salon that dates back to 1833, the annual art exhibition that featured new work of local artists. Pissarro exhibited at the Rouen Salon in 1862, while Monet only in 1864. But, it was here that the Rouen School exhibited their new paintings, and it was a local journalist who named them “les mousquetaires” (the musketeers). As with the Paris exhibitions of what was to become the Impressionist art, the local critics in Rouen were similarly not always that complimentary of the ‘new’ paintings on show at the Rouen Salon.

Léon-Jules Lemaître’s paintings of the Gros Horloge in Rouen are on show at the Rouen Fine Arts Museum in the aptly named exhibition: Une ville pour l’Impressionnisme, Monet, Pissarro et Gauguin à Rouen, which is part of this summer’s Normandy Impressionist festival. There is a section of the exhibition dedicated to the Rouen School.

And when you have seen the exhibition, you can also take a tour of the Gros Horloge.

So why not stay overnight in Rouen, there is lots to see and do, and do not forgoet this is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. For a hotel, have a look at Booking.com, which has over 25 Hotels in Rouen for you to choose from. This is one of the leading international hotel comparison websites, with a choice of hotels that range from 1 to 5 stars. Making your reservation is very easy.