Mont Sainte-Victoire 1890

Paul Cézanne painted Mont Sainte-Victoire using oil on canvas, capturing the essence of the landscape around his home in Aix-en-Provence. Cézanne’s technique is especially significant. He applied paint in methodical, block-like strokes, almost like the work of a bricklayer. This wasn’t just about representation; it was about construction. The mountain isn't merely depicted, it’s built up layer by layer, mirroring the slow geological processes that formed the mountain itself. This connects with the labor of the landscape itself, and perhaps to human industry as well. The paint, industrially produced and readily available thanks to mass manufacture, is here carefully applied. There’s a tension between the mechanization of art supplies and the deeply personal, almost handcrafted feel of Cézanne’s application. Ultimately, Cézanne’s painting reminds us that all art is a form of making, deeply intertwined with both the natural world and the social conditions of its time.