The Auxerre Cathedral — Canvas

The Gothic cathedral of Auxerre rises above its square, its twin western towers drawn in quick, loaded strokes against a shifting Burgundian sky. Gustave Loiseau painted it the way weather moves through it, one hour of light held still. Ochre and grey stone masonry dominate the facade, broken by deep blue-shadowed portals and a rose window hinted at in dabs of red and violet. Loiseau, a post impressionist devoted to en plein air work, builds the surrounding rooftops and bare plane trees from short crosshatched strokes, letting the cathedral anchor the composition while sky and pavement flicker around it. Slate roofs, pale masonry, cold northern light. A study or library with stone or dark wood furnishings suits its architectural gravity, and an entryway gains a sense of arrival beneath those towers.