Discovering the Artist Paul Cezanne

One of the most influential artists in the history of modern painting, Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) has inspired generations of artists. Generally categorized as a Post-Impressionist, his unique method of building form with color and his analytical approach to nature influenced the art of Cubists, Fauves, and successive generations of avant-garde artists. Beginning to paint in 1860 in his birthplace of Aix-en-Provence and subsequently studying in Paris, Cézanne’s early pictures of romantic and classical themes are imbued with dark colors and executed with an expressive brushwork using dramatic tonal contrasts and thick layers of pigment (often applied with a palette knife).

Mr. Bonnell had the honor of visiting the studio of Paul Cezanne and produced the following studio walk through journey below. This is a 180 degree photo of Cezanne’s studio. Click on each of the camera icons below to view that particular close up of the objects in his studio.

QUESTIONS to CONSIDER:

1. What kinds of shapes are you viewing? Do the rocks look like rocks? Why are they painted this way?

2. Cezanne has taken a scene and transformed it to be not a realistic scene but one that appears to a form of visual music of the scene. To put it another way, if the scene were a piece of music this is how it would appear. Do see that Cezanne has given every object a new definition? Each object appears to be a musical form of a musical note.

ART AS SEEING AND HEARING AS PAUL CEZANNE VISUALLY PRODUCED

The Famous French Singer Edith Piaf,

Louie Armstrong, & the Art of Listening

Artists teach us how to see beauty differently just as musicians teach us how to hear beauty differently. One of France’s great singers was Edith Piaf (1950-1963) who use to sing on street corners in Paris for food. Listen to her most famous song called La vie en rose which means Life in Pink. The French version embraces a more romantic feel to it without even understanding the words. The english version does not have the depth of feeling in it due to the limitations of language and sound. The same is true with visual art. If we only learn to see pictures as realistic imagery then we cheat ourselves of feeling great emotion due to too much thinking verses simply seeing with the heart. The third version below is by Louie Armstrong, Americans most famous and beloved black jazz singer and trumpet player. Listen to his version of the song and you have depth of emotion that blends the beauty of his trumpet and his famous voice of expression. This is a good example of an artist taking a work of art and bringing their own personality to it without compromising the work of art or song.

Assignment: Drag the assignment below to your desktop, print it out, and make it come alive with your own color. Cezanne believed every object had a life of its own, as if each object has its own personality. When you are done make a photo of your work and send it to ihs.db@yahoo.com