LEAH LAPALME
studio_bleu et orange
At the very top center of the graph, it was written “Cézanne provence d. 1906” and I saw that it was linked to Cubism. As I looked up his works, I found his paintings of the mountain Sainte-Victoire. Unlike other landscape paintings, these were not realistic representations. Instead, they had angular forms, resembling Braque’s paintings. Since I wasn’t interested in creating a photographic likeness, his works made me want to know why he painted the way he did.
Cézanne was focusing on structural, geometric approaches for depicting the natural world. He was exploring the underlying structure, form, and relationship of objects in space. By showing an object from both a top view and a side view in the same painting, he was breaking away from traditional linear perspective, which assumes a fixed viewpoint. He sought to capture the "underlying order" of nature, leading to his signature technique of breaking down forms into planes of color and geometry.
I guess the advent and spread of photography may have encouraged him to explore new ways of painting, however, his process of exploration was far from easy. I believe it was undoubtedly a relentless struggle with himself, as he sought to discover a new way of seeing and painting.
Despite that, he persisted, paving the way for a new understanding of art. His exploration and practice played a key role in the development of Cubism and abstract art. Even today, his work continues to teach many artists, including myself, about how to approach one's artistic practice.