Paul Cézanne —The Father of Modern Art
Cézanne’s works greatly catalyze abstract art in the 20th century
Introduction:
Born on January 19, 1839, Paul Cézanne was a French Post-Impressionists whose works served as the foundation for modern art. In particular, Cézanne’s was a forerunner of Cubism, influencing the great minds of artists such as Pablo Picasso. Bridging the gap between late 19th century Impressionism with the new 20th century modern art, Cézanne’s work demonstrated a mystery of the principles of art spanning from landscape painting to portrait. This article will explore the artistic mindset of Cézanne as well as his greatest works.
Making Impressionism Solid and Enduring:
Trained as a painter, Cézanne initially accepted the principles of Impressionist art and took great inspiration from artists like Camille Pissarro. Eventually, Cézanne came to a realization that Impressionism lacked one critical ingredient: structure. Armed with this new revelation, Cézanne desired to “make Impressionism something solid and enduring,” which naturally led him to formulate a new approach to art. Cézanne does not aim for hyperrealistic depictions. Instead, his goal was to have a structure behind the fleeting visuals of Impressionist art.
Furthermore, he believed that lines, planes, colours and light should all synthesize together in a unified order. To achieve this, Cézanne explored the qualities above and their interrelationships through careful examination of hue, saturation and value. These experimentations became the foundations for his compositions, which would go on to influence Post-Impressionists and beyond.
Let’s dive into some of his greatest works!
Mont-Sainte-Victoire:
In one of his most famous landscape paintings, Cézanne replaced the visual effects of atmospheric conditions with careful analysis of nature (lines, shape, planes and colour).
Basket of Apples:
In this famous still life, Cézanne opted for an anlytical approach to painting by capturing the abstract shapes of bottles and fruits.
The Boy in a Red Vest:
A fine example of Cézanne’s ability to paint portrait, created in 1888–1889.
L’Estaque, Melting Snow:
Shows a view from the outskirts of L’Estaque, with a steep hillside of melting snow underneath the dark sky.
The Large Bathers:
A bather is a person who is swimming in the sea, or in a river. This work is considered one of Cézanne’s finest work featuring abstract female nudes.
“Allow me to repeat what I said when you were here: deal with nature by means of the Cylinder, the sphere and the cone, all placed in perspective, so that each side of an object or a plane is directed towards a central point. Lines parallel to the horizon give breadth… Lines perpendicular to this horizon give depth. But nature for us men is more depth than surface, hence the need of introducing into our light vibrations, represented by reds and yellows, enough blue tints to give a feeling of air.”
Letters from Paul Cézanne to Emile Bernard (1904).
References:
Gardner, H., & Kleiner, F. S. (2016). Gardner’s Art through the ages: A global history (Fifteenth edition, Student edition. ed.). Cengage Learning.
Letters from Paul Cézanne to Emile Bernard. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/paul-cezanne/letters-from-paul-cezanne-to-emile-bernard/
Paul Cezanne. (n.d.). paul-cezanne.org. Retrieved November 31, 2021, from https://www.paul-cezanne.org/
