Cézanne - Powerful and Lonely

Author: (French) Auguste Rodin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: "I still owe you the truth of art, I will tell you in the future." Painting was the only focus in Cézanne's life. He neither worried about poverty nor indulged himself like other artists. Whether in Aix or Paris, the solitary man, supported by his father, persevered in adhering to the logic of color, conquering new spaces, and "realizing his feelings." Cézanne's works were once scorned and unrecognized, yet he established a new worldview in his paintings, nurturing the art of the 20th century. "The banker Cézanne sadly saw that behind his counter, a future painter was born. In Aix-en-Provence, a region in Provence, France, a talented middle school student, through this poem, defied his father's wishes and affirmed his determination to become a painter."
"The sketches and color elements on the canvas are never truly separate; in the process of painting, we gradually apply color, which is gradually to depict the form; the more harmonious the color, the more precise the form. Once color is enriched, the form becomes full. The contrast and relationship between tones are the secret of depicting form and creating volume (model).
"In nature, there are infinitely many things that attract me. I proceed slowly, and the nature before me is so complex; yet, I must constantly progress."
"Painting is to grasp the harmony among various relationships, to develop and transform them in a novel and creative logic, and to place them on one's own scale."
"Because, if the strong sense of nature—I truly experience it—is the foundation of all artistic concepts, and also upon it that the greatness and beauty of future works are built, then the understanding of how to express inner emotions is equally fundamental. These techniques can only be acquired through long experience."
"Light and shadow are a relationship between colors: these two main external effects of objects differ not in intensity but in their respective hues."
"Shadow is also a color, just relatively less bright; light and shadow are merely relationships between two tones."
"Without lines, there is no volume, only contrast. These contrasts do not come from black and white but from the feeling in color."
"Volume comes from the precise relationship between tones. When all tones are harmoniously arranged and fully present, the canvas itself will reveal volume."
Michel Og, the current Honorary Keeper of National Cultural Assets of France. From 1971 to 1988, he served as a professor at the Louvre Institute (I’école du Louvre) and was the director of the Orangerie Museum in Paris. He has organized numerous art exhibitions and published books such as Gauguin, Life and Work (1987) and Monet, Water Lilies (1984).