Research Point: Landscape Series Part 2 - Cezanne

Cezanne in his early career exhibited with the impressionists in Paris. He, however soon withdrew back to his place of birth near Aix en Provence to pursue his single-minded vision of how to proceed with painting in relative isolation. He was lucky that he was able to do this because he came from a relatively wealthy family so he was able to work away without showing or trying to sell his work or being mindful of any critics. 

Mont Sainte-Victoire is a prominent landmark  in the region and is also composed of relatively geometric shapes - something that would have been attractive to Cezanne. He painted around 60 versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire from various view points during his career. 

One of his aims (as mentioned in an earlier research point) was to express his personal sensations in front of the motif in paint. He wrote in a letter to another artist "The painter can give concrete expression to his sensory experience by means of colour and drawing" (1). He did, however want to go further than his fellow impressionists. He wanted to combine observation of nature with the sense of design and solidity seen in earlier landscape art. When asked to explain his aims he said he wanted to paint "Poussin from nature" (2) That is he wanted to paint respecting and observing nature but without the messiness of the impressionists. tea said he wanted to turn "impressionism into something more solid and enduring, like the art in the museums'. He wanted to create beautifully balanced compositions but he didn't want to lose his initial sensations and responses to nature. An extremely difficult problem to solve. He worked and slaved away at this year after year developing his techniques. He felt that he should really understand the underlying geology and geometry. 

Below are a few examples of works from this series:

The two upper images are works from the earlier part of the series. Here there is more line work and drawing. He uses trees to frame the foreground in a similar manner to Poussin for example. There is a harmony  to his use of colour and in both cases the warm greens and tallow fade as the landscape recedes towards the mountain to pale pinks blues and purples giving aerial perspective and a sense of depth to the composition.

In his later works we see development of his style. There is very litre in the way of line here. He has contracted the landscape by juxtaposing strokes of paint. His brushstrokes fall in line with the geometric shapes. Again there is this sense of atmospheric perspective but he creates a rhythm of colour within the work by juxtaposing strokes of the cool background colours with areas of warm colour in the foreground suggesting foreground shadows. 

Cezanne achieved a great result with his tireless work. there is a sense of order and rhythm to these paintings and there is also a beautiful light and beautiful vibrant colour in his paintings. The patches of colour applied in vertical and diagonal directions are not applied with mathematical precision but reflects the artist's responses to the environment, something which a photograph cannot achieve. Cezanne talked about painting "parallel to nature" and that is what he seems to have achieved. His paintings as they developed did not reflect a more refined realism and naturalism but more of the complex experience of being in nature. (3)

References:

(1) http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/vodcasts/cezannes/03.shtml

(2) The Story of Art. E.H Gombrich. Phaidon.  Reprinted 2011

(3) Landscape and Western Art. Malcolm Andrews. Oxford History of Art. Oxford University Press 1999