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| Cézanne: Poterie, tasse et fruits sur une nappe blanche (vers 1877) |
“With an apple, I will astonish Paris,” Cézanne said. And so he did. And even today, still does. He took risks, got rejected consistently by the Salon
of Paris, took more risks, was ridiculed (“a madman who paints delerium
tremens”), took more risks, stayed true to his passion—and changed the art
world forever. Matisse and Picasso called him the “father of us all.”
Cézanne’s influence is far reaching. His studio in
Aix-en-Provence looks as if he just stepped out for a moment. Dusty apples sit
on the table, his coat hangs on the rack, and his brushes and palette stand
ready for his return. He loved Provence—the color of the earth, rocks, and
pines and the beauty of his ever-present Mont Sainte-Victoire.
But Cézanne also came to Paris. Although he never had a
permanent address here, never stayed for more than six months, and swore he
would never become Parisian, he painted nearly half of his paintings in this
area.
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| Cézanne: Madame Cézanne (vers 1877) |
The current exhibit at the Musée du Luxembourg is a peek
into this Paris/Ile de France work, which continues his lifelong themes — love
of nature (particularly the emotional power of water) and the beauty of shape,
form, and color in still life and portraiture. He was a meticulous (and slow!)
painter, meditating on every brush stroke. He favored apples in his still-life
work because they lasted longer than other fruit. He favored his wife as a portraiture
subject because she had the patience of an apple.
He was his own harshest critic. His painting was his passion
but it was often not a pleasure. He said that it was a reminder of his own
failure to realize his ideas. He was known to destroy many of his canvases
in disappointment. One of the most beautiful portraits in this exhibit is of
his art dealer Ambroise Vollard. All Cézanne could say of this portrait was, “I am not
altogether displeased with this shirt front.” High praise indeed!
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| Cézanne: Ambroise Vollard, 1899 |
This lovely exhibition of 80 works is at the museum until 26
February, 2012. It’s popular, so get a ticket in advance and go early in the
day (when there’s still oxygen in the room). You can also do some shopping in the gift store. The
creative marketers are selling replicas of Cézanne’s cane, Cézanne apple/pear
confiture (hopefully not made from Cézanne’s still-life apples, aged 120 years),
and champagne from a maker whose label Cézanne used as an inspiration for one
of his nudes. Entrepreneurial spirit at its most creative.
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| WICE Fan Jerry Fielder with the Cézanne "line." |
For more information about the exhibit, click here. And coming soon next to the museum—an Angelina's!