Cezanne

Stunning exhibition at Tate Modern of work by Cezanne.

Although the show was very busy, it was easy to see the works as they were fairly sparsely hung. I liked the way the first half of the show ran chronologically through Cezanne’s life weaving together his influences, friendships and his effect on later artists.

The second part looked at the main themes in the works, still lives, bathers,  Mont Sainte-Victoire and portraits.  I think the still lives are my favourite. You can feel him constructing the image with paint. Having been to the studio in Aix it really comes alive. I’m not so keen on the bathers though I can see what he’s doing. It was interesting to see that they were the subject most owned by other artists.

On the whole the commentaries were good but it did get a bit woke at times and I’m not sure why the show needed a content warning at the start. A picture through branches in a forest was said to be about colonisation. Really? I loved the idea of having contemporary artists comment on the works plus saying which artists had owned certain pictures.

Closes 13 March 2023


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