Bend Of The Road At The Top Of The Chemin Des Lauves 1904 - 1906

Curator: Looking at "Bend of the Road at the Top of the Chemin des Lauves," executed between 1904 and 1906 by Paul Cézanne, one is immediately struck by its… pastoral tranquility. Editor: Yes, at first glance. But if you dwell on it a little longer, you may perceive, as I do, an unstable geometry, where patches of color vie for dominance. The near trees fight with the rest of the space. I see an anxiety in it, even as I recognize its beauty. Curator: Interesting observation. Cézanne's late work, especially the landscapes near Aix, often reveal his ongoing experimentation with form and perception. Note the fragmented brushstrokes. Each daub of oil paint serves to construct volume and depth. Editor: Absolutely, the brushwork is undeniably modern. But look closely at how that technique affects the visual politics of the landscape genre. Isn’t Cézanne challenging the traditional, idealized views, confronting the societal conventions that shaped representations of the natural world? Curator: The fragmentation certainly pushes against idealization. It's a move away from mimetic representation toward a constructed reality based on sensation. Each carefully placed patch of color, however, retains an individual integrity, yet also contributes to the larger compositional unity. There is an inner cohesiveness there. Editor: And that cohesiveness… does that not remind us that even revolutionary painters stand on the shoulders of what was? Cézanne worked during a period that redefined city and country life and even social unrest! How much does he engage, confront or subvert this world. Curator: A crucial question indeed. The very act of portraying the French countryside, irrespective of social turbulence, became an act loaded with symbolic importance. Cézanne offers, in "Bend of the Road," a visual philosophy, if you will, one concerning enduring questions of balance and harmony. Editor: It presents the difficulty and the complexity of his world. We come in hoping for picturesque relaxation but get a little more. Overall a satisfying picture! Curator: Quite. We are left contemplating a new visual vocabulary that moves the discourse around painting forward into what lies just beyond its edges.