House in Aix 1885 - 1887

Paul Cézanne painted "House in Aix" with oil on canvas, though the exact date remains unknown. Cézanne, a bourgeois who spent most of his life in Aix-en-Provence, lived during a period of significant social change in France, including the rise of industrialization and the lingering effects of the French Revolution. This painting, with its solid geometric forms, reflects his desire to distill the world into its essential shapes, yet it also speaks to the politics of representation. The rigid, almost imposing structure of the house, set against the natural, rolling hills, embodies the tensions between human construction and the natural world. While the house is a traditional subject, Cézanne's abstract style challenges conventional notions of beauty and representation, suggesting a shift away from academic traditions towards more modern forms of expression. The artist once wrote, “Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one’s sensations.” "House in Aix" invites us to consider not only the visual aspects of the scene but also the deeper, more complex ways we perceive our environment and its history.