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Monday 2 August 2010

Painting of the Month (8) August 2010: Cezanne

Mont Sainte-Victoire 1900
You may be aware if you have regularly read my blogs that I am a great admirer of Paul Cezanne. He painted Mont Sainte-Victoire  endlessly throughout his life, yet he always found something new to say each time.

Mont Sainte-Victoire  1885
Imagine my delight when, several years ago, I was on a coach journey from Marseilles, on France's Mediterranean coast, inland to Aix-en-Provence when, half-asleep, I viewed the unmistakeable (to me) outline of Mont Saint-Victoire. I had no idea I was anywhere near to it. I was suddenly wide awake and tapped my wife on the shoulder and pointed to the mountain. I was unable to speak with emotion and couldn't get the words out - poor Mrs Bazza was unimpressed at being woken up!
But look at this next version. Isn't it magical?

Mont Sainte-Victoire 1882-5
Picasso had called Cezanne "the Master of us all", and it is tempting to see a precursor of cubism in the way the surface is beginning to be broken up into flat shapes without conventional perspective. Of course, this may be 'reading in' with a backward look.
Remember that you can view the pictures better if you double click them.

12 comments:

joanne fox said...

I love those clear, bright colours. It must have sent shivers down your spine to realise you were seeing the real thing. I hope Mrs Bazza has forgiven you!

Sir Tom Eagerly said...

Hello bazza you poor deluded soul. I beleive that I have stated elsewhere that when it comes to art Rolf Harris is the epitome of greatness.
He might well have said of that third Cezanne you have chosen: 'Can you tell what it's gonna be yet?'
Oh, and don't forget Thomas Kincade. Perhaps he could be a future Painting of the Month subject for you?

Unknown said...

These are very beautiful. Must have been a great feeling on seeing the real thing. Maybe, Picasso was right in calling him "the Master of us all".
Great post Bazza...:)

David said...

Dear bazza,
This time I do agree with you, Cezanne was indeed a great painter.
I don't know that much about art, or its history, but I would like to believe I have a certain amount of taste, and this is certainly to mine.
Thanks bazza for showing such beautiful pictures.
Yours with Very Best Wishes,
David.

bazza said...

Joanne: Yes Joanne, it was an unforgettable experience. Mrs Bazza is very kind and probably doesn't even remember being woken up!

Sir Tom: Haha, very droll. As for Thomas Kincade; my favourite artist he aint! You will have to get your own blog because he will NOT be featuring in this series.

Mr.Stupid: I certainly find them beautiful and I am happy that you do too! I think Picasso was right.

David: Thanks, David. I am sure Cezanne will feature here again. He is beleived to painted the mouintain over 80 times so I could keep this theme going for ages!

klahanie said...

Greetings bazza,
First of all, note to Sir Tom, it is spelt 'believe' not 'beleive'. Poor form, old chap.
Sorry bazza. Now where was I? Oh yes. I am also an admirer of Paul Cezanne. It must have been quite the surreal experience seeing the painting in reality.
Take care, Gary.

joanne said...

not much to say here ... just so much beauty you've selected to post here time and time again.

Kelly said...

Bright and beautiful colors. I like the style of his paintings. They make me feel "happy". The best way I know how to describe the feeling.

THE SNEE said...

I really enjoyed those Cezanne photos and I particularly like the concept of capturing the feeling of the mountain scene. I even went to look photos of the real thing. Quite enchanting and extraordinarily peaceful.

bazza said...

Gary: So. Sir Tom doesn't use his spell-checker; well spotted. I am sure you meet Cezanne again if you follow this blog.

Joanne: Thanks Joanne, you are very kind to say so!

Kelly: Yes they make me feel good too; sometimes better than that!

The Snee: You may have seen in one of the earlier replies that I mentioned that he painted this mountain over 80 times. I could stretch this theme out for years!
Thanks for returning.

Bob said...

I love his paintings too.

I have a print of one of his paintings hanging in my lounge.

I hadn't linked him with Cubism before. Interesting!

bazza said...

Bob: The link with Cubism is tenuous. It's just that looking back one can see the way things were going. There was, of course, no way that that Cezanne could of seen what he was producing as part of a forward movement that would eventually lead to an entirely new way of seeing the world.
However, there is much evidence in his work of a breaking down of the pictorial surface into two-dimensional shapes.