Tate modern : Paul Cézanne

"Painting from nature is not copying the object it is raising one's sensations." ---- Paul Cézanne.

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was one of the most revered mystery painters of the late 19th century. Cézanne referred to the formal process of creating art as the 'realisation' of an experience or 'sensation', and his work always resonated strongly. The exhibition at Tate opens with an early self-portrait by Cézanne. In his thirties, he describes himself as a mature, confident and worldly modern man. The next 30 years were spent struggling to become a modern painter. The first half of the exhibition places Cézanne in the context of his time, exploring his life and relationships around his creative circle, and rather than recounting Cézanne's life from beginning to end, Tate discusses how the artists learned about Cézanne's relationship with art, capturing the artist's particular period. He moved from Provence to Paris, where he met the Impressionist painter Pisarro, who influenced his painting style to move from still lifes with strong contrasts of light and dark to the Impressionist style with its unrestrained brushwork and slightly brighter colours. In addition, the political turmoil in which Cézanne lived and the social issues that were of concern, as well as his partner Zola's frequent use of fiction and poetry to reflect social reality, led him to produce works that reflected feminist, abolitionist and political ideas. The relationship with the times and other artists.

The second half of the exhibition shows several groups of works that focus on specific themes, including his radical still life paintings and studies of bathers. In these themes we also get a glimpse of Cézanne's life journey and stylistic changes. Still lifes such as his claim to have 'surprised Paris with apples' demonstrate his ability to personalise the traditional still life, while the Bathers series draws out the artist's unique approach to using classical museum statues as models. The L'Estaque series (PS: also my favourite) was later declared by a critic to be 'Estaque is 'where Cézanne becomes Cézanne'. During a visit in 1876, Cézanne wrote a letter to Pisarro describing the landscape as 'like a pack of cards': red roofs against a blue sea. Cézanne praised the light and the unchanging vegetation as more suitable for his work than the landscape in northern France. By repeatedly observing and scrutinising the same outdoor theme or 'master theme', Cézanne began to realise his vision. At the end of the exhibition, several contemporary artists were invited to interpret Cézanne's work in their minds, allowing the viewer to hear and appreciate the art from multiple perspectives. The exhibition offers a very coherent and three-dimensional view of Cézanne's work and life, which is very interesting and worth a visit!