I had a midweek day off work last week and decided to visit several exhibitions. The first one I chose was Cezanne at the Tate Modern, which is coming to the end of its run.
Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) is one of the most respected artists of the late nineteenth century. He revolutionised painting, seeing it as a process of investigation. The exhibition contains several works which have rarely been seen outside of France. The first half looks at Cezanne in the context of his time, while the second half focuses on particular themes.
As a young adult, Cezanne’s father wanted him to pursue a career in law, but his school friend, the novelist Émile Zola, encouraged him to move to Paris and pursue art. He was befriended and mentored by fellow artist Camille Pissarro, whose influence is present in his early work. Cezanne lived through times of social and political upheaval: this can be seen in paintings such as The Conversation, which hint at his political views, and Scipio, which was possibly influenced by abolitionism.
Cezanne preferred to paint models he knew well, such as his partner Marie-Hortense Fiquet and their son Paul. However, he also painted many works of bathers, which influenced painters such as Matisse and Picasso. He worked on several landscapes, particularly during his stay on the south coast of France, and is also famous for his still lives, mostly featuring apples.
I must admit I struggled to engage with many of the paintings. I don’t find still lives particularly interesting and I wasn’t enamoured with the pictures of bathers. I could see the appeal in the landscapes, but my favourite works included the skulls that Cezanne painted towards the end of his life. There was also one particular work that seemed to show a murder, which had a strong compelling energy.
I feel a bit guilty saying all of this as Cezanne is an acclaimed artist and I really don’t have the knowledge to be able to criticise his works properly. All I can do is comment from my own uneducated perspective, and I guess these works just aren’t really my thing.