Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)

Cezanne was a shy man from a well-to-do family. He spent some time in

Paris absorbing Impressionist influences,

but eventually returned to the countryside of Aix-en-

Provence where he painted in artistic isolation. His

color was more restrained than the Impressionists; Cezanne was much more

concerned with manipulating perspective and geometrical pictorial

structure.

Cezanne sets up what appears to be a traditional still life, but as the viewer moves through the painting it becomes apparent that the viewpoint is shifting from one object to another. The painting begins

to suggest a more organic sense of space than rigid traditional perspective allows for.

From 1885 to 1906, Cezanne painted Mount Sainte-Victoire about 60 times, seen from many angles and through dramatic changes in his

painting style. The earlier work is marked by deep space and the suggestion of many landscape details...

As time went on the paintings became more abstract — less concerned with factual details and more concerned with flat

geometric structure of the picture.

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) FrenchMt. Sainte-Victoire, 1904, oil on canvas, 28 x 35”

The last paintings reduce the scene to a patchwork of colors in a strikingly abstract manner. Cezanne’s paintings led the way to

Cubism in the following years.

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) FrenchSelf portrait, oil on canvas

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) FrenchMoulin Rouge, 1891, lithograph print poster

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) FrenchAt the Moulin Rouge, 1892, oil on canvas, 49 x 56”