La Cathedrale de Rouen
1888
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1888
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This print shows the Rouen Cathedral’s facade in shadowy gray and black. The angle cuts off the top, so you only see heavy stone arches and tiny windows. The roof line slopes down awkwardly. Lepère used sharp cuts and fine dots in wood to fake soft light on hard stone. It looks like a painting, not a print, because he mixed tones so well. Other artists copied this trick, but none matched his control. His woodcut feels closer to a photo than ink on paper. See it for yourself at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
