Monet painted the portal of Rouen Cathedral on two occasions, in 1892 and 1893, both times between February and mid-April. The artist was unhurried, demanding and anxious when creating the 28 canvases in this series. 'My God! This cathedral is such hard work! It's terrible!' he wrote to his wife Alice, who had remained in Giverny.

The Portal Front View, Harmony Brown was painted from his first studio to the north of the square. The façade faces straight forward and fills the canvas in a perspective repeated throughout the series. Monet's other two studios further to the south resulted in oblique views and a more dynamic positioning.

The building's volumes are relativised, so that the outline of the Neo-Gothic spire sits in line with the central portal. Monet created this motif as a result of the powerfully ordered architecture, but his great interest in light makes the façade seem evanescent. This perspective was accentuated in later versions.

On closer observation, the harmony of the muted grey, ochre and brown shades reveals many brighter daubs of colour. Later in the series, this objective, shimmering light gave way to a colourful elegance which brought Monet into line with Post-Impressionist subjectivity.

This third series of his career further confirmed his interest in studying the effect of light on a single subject. Monet went beyond the ephemera dear to the Impressionists towards a unitary appropriation of Time, as signalled by the inclusion of the date 1894 on 20 of his canvases gathered together in his workshop, and their joint exhibition in 1895.