Cézanne

Taschen Basic Art

by Ulrike Becks-Malorny

In the latter half of the 19th century, in the verdant countryside near Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), busily plied his brush to landscapes and still lifes that would become anchors of modern art. With compact, intense dabs of paint and bold new approaches to light and space, he mediated the way from Impressionism to the defining movements of the early 20th century and became, in the words of both Matisse and Picasso, “father of us all.” This fresh artist introduction selects key works from Cézanne’s oeuvre to understand his development, innovation, and crucial influence on modern art. From compositions of fruits and pears to scenes of outdoor bathers, we trace his experimentation with color, perspective, and texture to evoke “a harmony parallel to Nature,” as well as the very process of seeing and recording. Along the way, we discover Cézanne’s celebrated Card Players, his layering of warm and cool hues to build up form and surface, and the geometric rigor of his landscapes from the vicinity of Aix-en-Provence, as bright with the light of southern France as they are bold with a radical new rendering of dimensions and depth. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History, Reference, Art Design, History

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Noah Goats · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could see what other people do in Cezanne.

[Joachim Cuculiza]

Anker kunne (igen) bedst lide de farverige billeder og mest af alt landskaberne. Virkede mere intra i Gaugain

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although i do like Cezanne, i've given this book five stars because it is a perfect art book for the lay person (like me). one of the residents at the nursing home where i work has been giving me artist profiles to read because the little pistol said that my knowledge of art was dismal and my generation saddened her. so my guilt-heavy eyes watched as she piled impressionist collections upon my outstretched arms and sent me off.

now that i've seen a few different approaches to a book about art, my only complaint is with some which are overwrought and tedious ("This letter from Paul Gaugin to his grocer, delivered by horse, lacks any reference to fruit or nuts, which is suspicious, as Gaugin was in the height of his fourth still-life period. it also demonstrates the artist's bitterness towards his mother for her reservations about his new roommate.") or some which fail to balance the biographical and historical context and the presentation and analyses of the artist's work. i like context. i feel lost without context.

because i'm not an art specialist, this book is excellent. it features far fewer letters or passages from letters than the usual book, a quick highlight-reel biography with some photographs and snippets from Parisian newspaper archives, and solid analysis of the significant paintings. it was nice to see simple art terms like contour and composition used in an approachable way, and always with a nod to Cezanne's break from artistic tradition.

All that said, Cezanne is a really fascinating painter with a very Zen ideology. like Keats in his Ode to the Nightingale, he recognizes, even embraces, nature's impermanence. he is detached from life and death or any other workings of time, hounded by the eternal. as a result, his last batch of paintings (the bathers) are very haunting and strange. the human subjects lack identifying features, and as a result look more like an exhibit at the zoo where the animals are indistinguishable from each other and their personalities irrelevant.

the still-lifes are amazing too

[Inês Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, I feel like I know a bit more about Cézanne and his life. (I knew nothing before), and I had no idea he and Emile Zola were friends. Very interesting.

Only didn't rate it 5 stars because I wish we had more descriptive parts on the paintings. It certainly has them, but I wanted more

[Molsa Roja(s) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic overview -an overview, that is- of Cézanne's life and oeuvre; the author succeeds in showing the true character -an obsessive, perfectionist one if I may say, that we have thoroughly enjoyed- of the painter, the misunderstood and timid Cézanne that was never comfortable with people around -how he suffered with the mannequins!- and whose whole aim was to let us see simply what was there. It's precisely what's truly there that has nothing to do, according to Cézanne, to the painter or the subjectivity: a true painting will depict something more than mere reality, the Idea that lurks behind it, the inefable that is rooted deep down in the things themselves. I loved some of the cites, by the way.

"You must think, the eye is not enough, it needs to think as well. "

"We should not be satisfied with strict reality. "

"We must not paint what we think we see, but what we see"

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll confess Cezanne's paintings had always left me cold. While I knew he was an important post-Impressionst artist, as a lay person I never really understood why. Then, at a recent visit to the Barnes Foundation collection, I was able to see his works side-by-side with those of his contemporary Mattisse. The contrast was so striking and his treatment of color and of similar subject matter (like bathers) was so distinct that I finally began to understand what there might be to appreciate in his work. Now, this monograph takes me to the next level, not only with beautiful reproductions of some of his most important paintings and relevant details of his life, but also an introduction to his theoretical approach to art, which led directly to cubism and abstract expressionism. I'm so glad to have been inducted as a lifelong student of this very great genius!

[Prabhat Gusain · Rating 4 out of 5]

"On Sunday the public saw fit to sneer at a fantastic figure that is revealed under an opium sky to a drug addict. This apparition of pink and nude flesh pushed, in the empyrean cloud, by a kind of demon or incubus, like a volutptuos vision - this corner of artificial paradise, has left even the most courageous gasping for breath. Mr. Cezanne merely gives the impression of being a sort of madman who paints in delirium tremens." - A female critic's opinion of Cezanne's painting at the first impressionist exhibitio in April 1874.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short overview of Cezanne's life and art. I didn't realize how consumed he was by his art nor how influential his friendship with Pissarro was in lightening his palette and shaping his style. The interactions among the painters at the time is fascinating. Too bad that at the time this was written, the influence of Frédérdic Bazille was not known. This is a good companion to Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland in which Cezanne's paintings figure prominently.

[Shinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love reading how Cezanne's painting transforming from darkness (snow thaw at L'Estaque) to brightness (the sea at L'Estaque) approach under Pisarro influence. The book explained how Cezanne depicted the nature according to what he saw. It's interesting that later in his life, his painting became a bit abstract: the colours forming the painting.

[Un Livre · Rating 4 out of 5]

e livre retrace l’histoire du peintre impressionniste par des des thèmes, qui révèlent l’évolution de ses tableaux : nous passons des natures mortes aux scènes de baignades.

Analyse du livre Cézanne

[Jasmine Pulley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a normal book, but still wanted to record it here as part of my reading before seeing the cezanne exhibit at the AI in 2022. I really like the Taschen artist series, great sizes pictures and explanations of the artists life, context, struggles and works.

[Stephan Model · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr gelungener einführender Kunstband, in der Biographisches souverän mit gut aufeinander aufbauenden streiflichtartigen Interpretationsangeboten zur Entwicklung der Ästhetik und Technik Cezannes geboten wird.

[Rari Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro book. The book explains specific art pieces, where this artist fits into the impressionism movement, how his art compares to other's art, how his art changed over time, and his personal life and struggles. I am walking away with an appreciation for Cezanne, and I'm ready to learn more.

[Tim Nason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely comprehensive text linking biographical details and Cezanne’s evolving techniques with ample illustrations. Some of the reproductions are much too blue compared to images of the same paintings in other books.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, my copy is a bit flawed. The second chapter of the book has every other page in French with text and pictures from the 5th chapter interspersed in the English version. It would have been nice to have the pictures that the text was referring to throughout chapter 2. Sigh. Otherwise, it was interesting to read more about Cezanne.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book does a decent job of providing details of the struggle Paul Cezanne had in pursuing his art, I'm a little disappointed with the details of his art. The images are of wonderful quality but I had hoped to read more about his method of painting and the effects this had on canvas rather than his introverted ways of life.

[Khanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

very repetitive but i appreciate it

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really into impressionism but somehow I could not get into the artwork of Cezanne. Never the less this book shows great pictures of the artist´s work acompanied by texts.

[Juan Carlos Santillán · Rating 2 out of 5]

La vida y la obra de Cézanne no son tan interesantes como las de otros artistas. Y eso, claro, no es culpa del autor del libro.

[Nataly Tiare · Rating 4 out of 5]

(16/07/13)
Interesante libro sobre Cézanne. Si bien tiene algunos problemas de redacción, permite apreciar la relevancia del artista y la innovación de su obra.

[Luciana Nery · Rating 4 out of 5]

The edition is excellent, many biographical details, but I gave it four stars because I don't think the book is satisfactory regarding his influence on modernism - just too brief on that.

[Eszter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr informativ, alles Wichtige enthalten.

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art

[Eve Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cezanne the Father of Modern Art!