The Pond c. 1877

Paul Cézanne's painting, "The Pond," is created with oil paints, applied with visible brushstrokes to a canvas surface. The texture of the painting is quite palpable, as the brushstrokes create a sense of depth and dimension on the two-dimensional plane. The materiality of the paint itself, its viscosity and opacity, influences how the artist builds up the image. Cézanne wasn't just representing a scene; he was actively constructing it with the very stuff of his medium. He has built up a composition using thick marks of color, that model form and space. The visible layering of brushstrokes reminds us of the labor involved in its creation. The way the paint is applied conveys a sense of materiality and process. It prompts us to consider the artist’s physical engagement with the medium, underscoring the inherent connection between making and meaning. In this regard, Cézanne challenges traditional notions of painting as purely representational, inviting us to appreciate the artwork as both image and object.