Landscape 1882

Paul Cézanne created this landscape painting with oil on canvas. The composition strikes you first. Vertical tree trunks flank the scene, framing a village nestled in rolling hills. Cézanne’s brushstrokes are distinct – small, deliberate patches of color that coalesce into form. This technique, known as constructive stroke, builds the image rather than describing it. Observe the interplay of greens and browns, punctuated by the red roofs of the village houses. Cézanne's approach to the landscape, in many ways, presaged cubism. He sought to represent the underlying structure of the world, reducing objects to their basic geometric forms. This is evident in the simplified shapes of the houses and the trees. The lack of traditional perspective flattens the space, challenging conventional notions of depth. Ultimately, Cézanne's landscape invites us to reconsider how we perceive reality. His method of building form through color and structure paved the way for radical shifts in the art world, encouraging us to see beyond the surface.