Here, Maximilien Luce presents a view of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral from the Quai Saint-Michel.

As can be seen from the recurrent presence of this motif in his work, the artist was particularly attracted to the cathedral and to churches. He produced at least eleven versions of the western façade of Notre Dame de Paris between 1890 and 1915; these versions differ depending on the time of day and the weather. Most date from the turn of the century, a time when, in reality, Luce had already distanced himself from Neo-Impressionism.

Luce was profoundly anti-clerical and heavily involved in the social battles of his time; he viewed the cathedral as the symbol of the creation of a collective work which required the involvement of all trades. This View from the Quai Saint Michel preserves the memory of pure Neo-Impressionist colours and testifies to the artist's desire to juxtapose the mediaeval monument with the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Although Luce felt the influence of Monet's Cathédrales, he was nevertheless critical of these works. In his opinion, 'These parts of cathedral without sky or land do not give an idea of the proportions of the monument' and the painter's qualities are unable to make us forget the absence of composition. Luce's cathedral views seem to be a response to Monet and the expression of his personal conception of a modern urban landscape transformed by Haussmann's developments and dominated by iron and stone.