13 August, 2009

Cezanne, The Proto-Fauvist

Paul Cézanne (Son of the Artist), 1890
Pastel
Paul Cézanne



"Line and color are not distinct...when color is at its richest, form takes on its fullest expression." Paul Cézanne.
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8 comments:

Deborah Paris said...

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I agree, but it is interesting that he said "richest" rather than "most intense"- there is a big difference!

August 13, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Good comment, Deborah. I think after 100 years (I felt free to post PC's art) the word "richest" could mean just about anything. Then, take into account the language, and what did he mean?

I read it (rightly or not) from the context of Matisse (this was his life quote from Cezanne) and his art. He used color in a way to retain intensity.

There is maybe the impulse of the colorist to abstract the elements of color and let them dominate line and form. An example for me is the many times that a print or an image of my work has the wrong color, but the right value, and it just doesn't work anymore. Is this an example of color's dominance?

Not in all art, of course. Colorism is not more important than other art genres. But, when doing colorism, the color proves itself the dominant part.

August 13, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Galya said...

Hello,
Thank you for sharing Cezanne.
Kind regards

August 14, 2009 at 6:13 AM
Casey Klahn said...

And thank you for reading here, Dr. Nikolova. It is a pleasure to see your really free and expressive oils. The colors are amazing.

August 14, 2009 at 6:47 AM
Martha Marshall said...

One of my all time favorite painters. I don't know what he meant by that specific word either, but would interpret it in the context of his work. The color is enriched by its relation to the whole.

August 18, 2009 at 4:42 AM
Casey Klahn said...

Those are good points, Martha.

In reading Cezanne's quote this morning, I wonder if he meant that line and color are not distinct/independently viable? They must stand together, or fall, perhaps.

What interests me is this recent experience with a printer who couldn't get my biz card right, and the way wrong colors effect the whole, in spite of the other color aspects being correct. Hue seems to matter a great deal to me - that is the hue relationships.

Another experience is looking at the big viewfinder behind Lorie's D-80 and seeing the different exposures and white balance settings. What stands out to me is the lack of availability of many colors to the RGB format. Pastel color space is a mile wide, but RGB's color space is about 10 feet (I exaggerate).

August 18, 2009 at 7:10 AM
Philip said...

That is why I am a fan of rich/intense colours!

August 21, 2009 at 5:42 AM
Casey Klahn said...

Me too, Philip.

August 23, 2009 at 4:33 PM

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Abstract Expressionism, Art Criticism, Artists, Colorist Art, Drawing, History, Impressionism, Modern Art, Painting, Pastel, Post Impressionism