Paul Cézanne

Galerie Max Kaganovitch, Paris
J. B. Neumann, New York
Sale: Finarte, Milan, November 21-22, 1961, no. 28
Burt Lancaster, New York
Eric Estorick, London

London, Arthur Jeffress Gallery, Art in the Film the Victors, 1962, no. 5
London, O'Hana Gallery, Paintings and Sculpture of the 19th and 20th Centuries, 1962, no. 77
Edinburgh, National Galleries of Scotland, Cézanne and Poussin, The Classical Vision of Landscape, 1990, no. 16

J. Borély, "Cézanne à Aix," Art Vivant, July, 1926, illustrated p. 490
Lionello Venturi, Cézanne: Son art, son oeuvre, Paris, 1936, no. 834, (titled as Campagne and dated 1875-76), illustrated pl. 272
Meyer Shapiro, Paul Cézanne, Paris, 1973, illustrated pp. 36-37
John Rewald, Paul Cézanne, The Watercolors: A Catalogue Raisonné, London, 1983, no. 79, illustrated

The sheet is laid down to heavy card, the edges are irregular and some areas of the edges are irregular and some areas of the edges are missing. There are two small tears in the lower left border. There are no paper losses in the image. The work is light stained and has a thin mat line. There is some minor foxing across the top, and a small blanched spot at the upper left. The pigment is fairly strong considering the intensity of the light stain. There are no abrasions in the image. This report has been kindly provided by the conservator Alan Firkser.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Paul Cézanne lacked widespread public support for much of his career. During the early 1870s, working under the influences of Manet and embracing the fundamental principles of Impressionism, Cézanne gained the acceptance and admiration of his peers.  However, after the failure of the third Impressionist exhibition in 1877, the artist retreated into isolation, causing him to explore new approaches to his work.  Paysage is a direct manifestation of Cézanne's resultant stylistic shift.

Cézanne expanded his impressionistic focus on the visual effects of light and color to include a renewed emphasis on structure and form.   His use of horizontal and vertical symmetries is particularly notable in this work.  Cézanne juxtaposes the vertical trees in the foreground with the horizontal plains in the distance; the central landscape calmly recedes into the background, allowing the more prominent vertical framing devices in the foreground to take precedence.    

Still, Cézanne's emphasis on form and structure should not overshadow the role that color plays in the work. Cézanne creates a textured application of hues by layering shades of green and white in blocks. A pale brown background pervades the work, casting a subtle, but rather ominous undertone. The result is a striking combination of color and form typical of Cézanne's new approach to his work from this period. Lionllo Venturi observes:  "Cézanne's persistent search for structural order in landscape shows that he did not mean to allow his effects of color and light to be governed by any principle of abstract equilibrium.   What he sought, on the contrary, was to build with colours and light, to match order to visual sensation and thus give it full significance to the chosen motif" (Lionello Venturi, Cézanne, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York, 1978, p. 88).