Saturday, March 10, 2012

Jeff's Met Picks: Cezanne

Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley, 1882–85
Paul Cézanne (French, 1839–1906)
Oil on canvas



Cezanne painted Mont Sainte-Victoire many many times. This view always intrigued me. Why plant a tree right in the middle of the painting? But look what he has done. The tree, and the intersecting aqueduct in the distance, have divided the canvas into distinct quadrants, doing EXACTLY what he wanted to accomplish, as the description suggests: reveal the inner geometry of nature and make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of museums.

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