How Cézanne Changed the Course of Western Art
A painter whose technique influenced a generation
The art of Paul Cézanne had an enormous influence on the generation of artists that followed him, most especially Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It was an influence that would ultimately change the course of Western art.
Other artists were just as indebted. Henri Matisse referred to Cézanne as “the father of us all,” whilst to Paul Klee he was, “the teacher par excellence.”
Because of this influence, certain phrases have become connected with Paul Cézanne: a bridge between Impressionism and Modernism, the forefather of Cubism. It is as if Cézanne attempted a new way of perceiving the world, and in the act of turning vision into paint, unlocked a new method of making visual art.
To make such grand claims can predispose a viewer to expect extraordinary things from Cézanne’s paintings. One of the surprises, then, is how cool and simple his works appear at first glance. Landscapes and still-lives painted in restrained tones of blue, light-greens and pale-oranges, are images that can give the impression of a cerebral painter. Not quite what you might expect from a revolutionary. So what was it that made Cézanne’s art so significant?
