Cézanne—The Strong Solitude

Author: Michelle Ohg
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: "I still owe you the truth of art, and I will tell you in the future." Painting was the only obsession 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 following 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 completely separate; in the process of painting, we gradually apply color, gradually depicting the shapes; the more harmonious the color, the more precise the shape. Once the color is enriched, the shape becomes fuller. The contrast and relationships between tones are the secret of depicting shapes 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 their tones within 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, their differences do not come from varying intensity but from their respective tones."
"Shadow, like light, is also a color, just relatively less bright; light and shadow are merely relationships between two tones."
"Without lines, there is no volume, only contrasts. These contrasts do not come from black and white but from the feeling in the colors."
"Volume comes from the precise relationships between tones. When all tones are harmoniously arranged and fully present, the canvas itself will reveal volume."