Midterm Essay

Analysis of Paul Cezanne’s Contribution to Modern Art

By: Nick Pelletier 

Over the course of the semester we have discussed many different types of artists. From impressionists to modernists, and everything in between, we have seen many styles and talents. However there is one specific artist I would like to focus on, and that is Paul Cezanne. This artist is a post-impressionist that lived from 1839-1905. He produced art from the early 1860’s right up to the time of his death in 1905. I would like to point out his key contributions to modern art in this short narrative.

Before this time, artists did not pay true attention to the value of the composition that included multiple components.Cezanne was very good at making things that were pleasant and well interpreted by the human eye. He took different aspects of a good composition such as line and color. He created form out of these aspects which really changed how modern artists made good composition. Cezanne, who wasn’t satisfied with the prior impressionism art, sought to make his works a new type of analytical discipline. He really made the concept of painting what is in front of him an analytical project and revolutionized the ways modern artists work.

He was best known for the way he creates a work of art. His brush strokes were always small and methodical, and it seems that he wasn’t painting large areas. Rather constructing them one stroke at a time. He built paintings like people build houses. Each area being a small piece that contributed to the overall structural integrity of the image. In his still life’s there was a strict sculptural dimension. He was able to analyze objects from multiple angles and incorporate the qualities into the overall project. The way this artist was able to build these compositions one small brush stroke at a time with so much criticism going into each movement, was really revolutionary to modern art.

These are the qualities that Paul Cezanne contributed to modern art. I personally enjoyed learning about his history and the impact he was able to have at a time that was really changing for the field. We are truly blessed to be able to learn from these techniques and attempt them in projects of our own such as the recent “multiple perspective fruit project.” I will continue to attempt these techniques as they are truly a genius contribution to modern art.