The Three Masters of Post-Impressionism - Cézanne (1)
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), hailed as the "father of modern art," had a profound impact on many artists and art movements of the 20th century, particularly Cubism, with his representation of the volume of objects.
Compared to Van Gogh and Gauguin, Cézanne seemed to have a head start, as if he were born under a lucky star. Although he was not the eldest son, his birth coincided with the peak of his father's career, making him an "heir." Despite disputes over inheriting the family business, his father provided him with a relatively lenient artistic environment and even posed as a model for him.
Throughout history, art has been a game for the wealthy, free from the worries of livelihood, making it the dream of many artists to leave a lasting legacy.
At the age of 10, Cézanne studied painting with a Spanish monk at a boarding school. At 13, he entered the Bourbon College, where he spent four years as a student and two years as a scholar. It was here that he met his most important and heartbreaking friend, Zola. In 1859, at his father's request, he entered the Aix School, changing "law school" to "art school" against his father's wishes. Although this did not escape detection for long and led to arguments, it ultimately ended in his father's concession.
The Three Masters of Post-Impressionism - Cézanne (2)
No artist could resist the allure of Paris, and Cézanne was no exception. However, he found it difficult to adapt there and would often return to his hometown of Aix after spending a few months in Paris. Fortunately, he had Zola.
Zola had ventured into Paris ahead of him and successfully penetrated the literary and artistic circles, frequently attending and organizing salons. Through Zola's introduction, he met the leading figures of the Impressionist movement, such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Degas, and became a student of Pissarro in 1872. At this time, the art world was brewing a revolution: the stage of art was shifting from indoors to outdoors. Zola called this artistic wave "naturalistic painting," much like his "naturalistic literature." However, Cézanne could not fully integrate into their circle, despite creating numerous landscape paintings with a classical atmosphere. He did not completely agree with the Impressionist philosophy. "The sunlight is so intense that I feel the contours of objects are dancing... but maybe I am seeing it wrong, I feel it's the undulating phenomenon of the ground." His colleagues also disliked his capriciousness and moodiness, and even his introversion seemed gloomy. Therefore, Cézanne's participation in the first Impressionist exhibition sparked opposition from many of his peers, and his unique painting style brought him multiplied ridicule after the exhibition.
The Three Masters of Post-Impressionism - Cézanne (3)
If the Impressionists were an alternative presence in the art world of the 19th century, then Cézanne was an alternative within the alternative. From the light, he touched on the solid structure and their abstract forms. However, at this time, this genius was nothing more than a "failure" abandoned by the world, a "stray" squandering his own talent. In "Hustle," Delacroix even wrote bluntly, "If you want to find the most interesting thing at an art exhibition when accompanying ladies, hurry to Cézanne's portrait! Look at that wonderful head, the color of a shoe sole, it will surely leave a strong impression on you. How much he looks like he's got yellow fever!" However, for Cézanne, these criticisms were not completely unbearable. What truly crushed him was the betrayal from his "life partner" Zola. In 1885, Zola, in one of the novels in his series "The Rougon-Macquart Family" called "The Masterpiece," created a failed painter named Claude Lantier, based on Paul Cézanne. This character was neurotic and stubborn, ultimately reaching a dead end and committing suicide. Zola said, "When he (referring to Cézanne) tramples on his own work, I know what his efforts, disillusionment, and defeat mean." Clearly, Zola fully understood what "The Masterpiece" meant to Cézanne personally. Initially, Cézanne claimed that Zola did it out of the needs of the novel, and he tried to maintain their friendship. However, when Zola claimed that Claude Lantier was Cézanne, their friendship was irreparably broken.
The Three Masters of Post-Impressionism - Cézanne (4)
Afterwards, Cézanne continued to struggle against himself and the aesthetic mainstream. He discovered the rhythm of the canvas in Titian's work and incorporated it into his own creation, saying, "Painting does not mean blindly replicating reality, it means seeking harmony in various relationships." Finally, in 1895, he achieved his own victory. The dazzling style of Impressionism gradually wearied people, and they finally discovered Cézanne's imagination in the shapes of objects. Between reality and illusion, the sense of solid, sedimentary geometric forms, the tension and vitality bursting forth, people finally understood his poetic words, "Our rich fields are filled with green and sun." However, people's overflowing praise could not dissolve decades of loneliness. At this time, he was just an old man plagued by diabetes. The belated glory could no longer touch this genius too much, and he continued to wander alone in the mountains around Aix, engaging in a dialogue with the world.
In 1902, he received the news of Zola's death from carbon monoxide poisoning. Faced with the death of his former friend turned enemy, he locked himself in his studio for several days, crying out in pain. In 1906, shortly after attending the unveiling ceremony of Zola's bust at the Aix Library, this man, considered "the father" by Picasso, was taken by pneumonia.
However, he brought the most important core for future artists: self.
