Cézanne’s Drawings at MoMA

A Review

Paul Cézanne. The Apotheosis of Delacroix. 1878–80 (completed later). Pencil, ink, and watercolor on wove paper, with a strip added at the bottom, 7 7/8 × 9 3/16″ (20 × 23.3 cm). The British Museum, London © The Trustees of the British Museum

While walking through “Cézanne Drawing” at the Museum of Modern Art, page after page of the artist’s sketchbooks unfold across several rooms. Dark, hand-drawn lines oscillate between gray, silver and black tones while silhouettes of objects such as apples, oranges, flower-filled vases and stationary models unfurl and unwind before one’s eyes. This exhibition is not only extremely unique, but it is also…