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5 things to know about Paul Cezanne before visiting the exhibition
Considered one of the pioneers of modern art, Paul Cézanne had a profound impact on art history. Yet his work long baffled his contemporaries. Why did he paint so many apples? Which artists did he inspire? And why does his work resonate so strongly today? Here are five keys to better understanding his influence before visiting the exhibition “Cezanne and Us,” on view at the Grand Palais through January 17, 2027.
Widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern art, Paul Cezanne left a profound mark on art history. Yet his work long baffled his contemporaries. Why did he paint so many apples? Which artists did he inspire? And why does his work resonate so powerfully today? Here are five key insights to help you understand his influence before exploring "Cezanne and Us", on view at the Grand Palais until January 17, 2027.
Was Cezanne an impressionist?
Yes, but not only that! Like the Impressionists, he painted directly from nature, focusing on the sensations it evoked in him. But while his contemporaries sought to capture a fleeting moment, a particular light or the shifting atmosphere, Cezanne aimed to give his impressions a more lasting form. Trees, houses, paths, hills and mountains gradually come together in a balance of shapes and colors that structures the space of the painting. At the crossroads between 19th-century Impressionism and the 20th-century avant-garde, he paved new paths for the artists who followed him.
Paul Cezanne, Pommes et biscuits, 1880, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris
Why did he paint so many apples?
“With an apple, I want to astonish Paris!” Paul eézanne is said to have declared.
The artist produced numerous still lifes in which apples take centre stage. But why does this fruit appear so frequently in his work? The apple is both a familiar subject and a means of exploring the possibilities of painting. It allows the artist to experiment with form and colors, nd the way objects are arranged within the space of the painting. Behind this ordinary motif lies the full ambivalence of his painting: the apple is a real, tangible object, but it is also a pretext for experimentation and for constructing the image itself.
Why was he misunderstood during his lifetime?
It’s hard to imagine today, but Cezanne was long mocked and rejected.Repeatedly turned away by the Salon, he struggled to win recognition from the public and critics, who mocked his “excess.” His style challenged the artistic conventions of his time. His way of depicting reality, his treatment of forms and colors, and his approach to constructing space were disconcerting. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that his work gradually gained wider recognition.
Etel Adnan, Paysage, 2014, Huile sur toile, 32 x 41 cm, Musée de l’Institut du monde arabe, Paris
Which artists admired him?
Cezanne’s legacy spans generations and artistic movements. As early as the 1880s, Paul Gauguin, Émile Bernard, and Paul Signac discovered new possibilities in his work. A few decades later, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, and Kasimir Malevich, in turn, took an interest in his artistic explorations.
After World War II, other artists such as Pierre Soulages, Serge Poliakoff, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Joan Mitchell, and Nicolas de Staël found in his paintings new ways of working with color, texture, and space.
More recently, abstract artists with very different aesthetics such as Ellsworth Kelly, Simon Hantaï, Brice Marden, and Sean Scully, have also taken an interest in his work, going so far as to attempt to make 20th-century forms and language “Cezannian.” Each sees in Cezanne a unique way of conceiving painting and striving to attain a form of truth.
Why is Cezanne still famous today?
The originality of his painting, his use of color and texture, and his approach to constructing forms have made Cezanne a guiding figure for the avant-garde. His explorations of volume contributed significantly to the development of Cubism, inspired the School of Paris and German Expressionism, and paved the way for abstraction. But his importance extends beyond his influence on 20th-century artists. His work continues to spark interest due to the inventiveness of his motifs and the uniqueness of his painting style. It is this freedom that explains why so many artists, with aesthetics that are sometimes very different, continue to turn to his work.
Paul Cezanne, La Montagne Sainte-Victoire au grand pin, vers 1887, huile sur toile, 66.8 x 92.3 cm
A living legacy, to be discovered at the Grand Palais
An essential point of reference, yet also a legacy to move beyond, Cezanne continues to inspire successive generations of artists. His influence arguably stems from a fundamental discovery: painting can be faithful to the world while standing on its own, both material and spiritual, grounded in reality yet open to abstraction.
A story to discover at the Grand Palais until January 17, 2027.
