Paul Cézanne
Dear DailyArt users, if you need artsy calendars for 2020 we have something for you! Check what you can buy on our new DailyArt online shop: Women Artists Monthly Wall Calendar, Masterpieces Monthly Wall Calendar and Weekly Desk Calendar, with beautiful masterpieces and short stories about them. We ship worldwide!
The Montagne Sainte-Victoire is a mountain in southern France, overlooking Aix-en-Provence. It became the subject multiple Cézanne's paintings. Only half a year after the opening of the Aix-Marseille line on October 15, 1877, in a letter to Émile Zola dated April 14, 1878, Cézanne praised the Mont Sainte-Victoire, which he viewed from the train while passing through the railway bridge at Arc River Valley, as a beau motif (beautiful motif). At about that same time, he began the series wherein he tropicalized this mountain.
Cézanne is said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and early 20th-century Cubism. His works are often repetitive with exploratory brushstrokes that are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. He used planes of color and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields. The paintings convey Cézanne's intense study of his subjects.
Both Matisse and Picasso are said to have remarked that Cézanne "is the father of us all."
P.S. Cézanne painted the Mont Sainte-Victoire many times in different seasons and weather conditions. One of these paintings was looted during World War II and appeared again a few years ago. Read its fascinating story here!