Chateau Noir 1905

Paul Cézanne made this painting of Chateau Noir with oil on canvas, and just look at those brushstrokes! See how they build up, like a mosaic of color, one next to the other? It's like he's constructing the scene right before our eyes, brick by brick, leaf by leaf. Notice the materiality, the surface quality of the paint itself. Cézanne's brushstrokes aren’t blended; they’re distinct, chunky, and full of texture. Zoom in, and you can almost feel the ridges of the paint. And the colors! The blues, greens, and ochres create a lush and vibrant scene that feels alive with energy. Look at the way he uses these hues to define the shapes of the trees and the building. This emphasis on form, over representation, relates to the early Cubist painters, like Picasso or Braque. Cézanne encourages us to slow down, to really look, and to see the world in a new way, full of possibility.