Pine and Rocks (Fontainebleau?) c. 1897 – Oil on canvas by
Paul Cézanne
This is a focussed view, different from the large open
landscapes like the views of the Mount Sainte Victoire that Cézanne painted in
the South of France. The reason of the location “Fontainebleau” with a question
mark in the title is that, even if we can’t be sure, the pine trees and large
boulders are characteristic of this sandy forest near Paris. It was also a
favourite spot for pre-Impressionists and Impressionists painter to paint.
Turning Road at Mongueroult, 1898 – Oil on canvas by Paul
Cézanne
This is a plein-air painting (i.e. done on location). The
palette of Ochre and and dark greens, and the blue outline are characteristic
of Cézanne. This is the last painting Cézanne did on the village of Mongueroult
before he returned to his hometown Aix-en-Provence (South of France), where he
stayed until his death.
The Bather, c.1885 – Oil on canvas by Paul Cézanne
I don’t really like this painting. I am not sure why. I find
the figure little stiff and the slight bird view shorten the legs (which
reinforce the illusion that the man is short and bulky). Of course, this is
just my personal opinion and you are free to disagree.
Still life with apples (1895-98) – Oil painting by Paul Cézanne
I kept the best (at least to me) for last. Cézanne explored
stil life painting throughout his life. They were his laboratory when he could
experiment. Apples are a feature of Cézanne’s paintings. I read someone that he
was taking so much time than flowers would fade and dye long before the artist
had finished his still life paintings. He resorted to artificial flowers, but
even these faded… No such issue with apple that keep for weeks on.
This unfinished painting offers us clues into Cezanne’s
working methods, The painted initial ouline is still visible in places and we
can see how he approached the subject as a whole and painted touches of the
same colour in different places to create unity.
Details for the museum
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019-5497
MoMA Website http://www.moma.org
No comments:
Post a Comment