Trees Leaning over Rocks c. 1892

Paul Cézanne made this watercolor and pencil work, Trees Leaning over Rocks. Although the exact date of its creation remains unknown, we can contextualize it within the late 19th-century, a period marked by significant shifts in artistic expression and social norms. During this time, France was undergoing rapid industrialization, urbanization, and political change. Cézanne, born into a bourgeois family, distanced himself from traditional academic styles to capture the sensory experience of the natural world. His focus on form, structure, and the interplay of light and color paved the way for modern art movements such as Cubism and Fauvism. In this particular study, the artist moves away from traditional representations, seeking instead to distill the essence of the landscape. The ethereal quality of the watercolor infuses the scene with a sense of transience, echoing the emotional and existential themes prevalent in the art of his time.