Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Happy Birthday, Cezanne

Strolling through the Museum of Art, Sao Paulo was a unique experience for someone who knew her Impressionists intimately, but only through reproductions. The Renoirs were exquisitely beautiful, the Toulouse-Lautrecs looked like Toulouse-Lautrecs, and the Cezannes were HUGE.


The third Cezanne grabbed at me. Once my eyes fell on it, I could not peel them away. I wandered away, but always returned to gaze at it. I stared at it from every angle; I stared for hours. I couldn't have enough of it.

The name was in Portuguese. I could never find the painting again. I cannot ever forget it.
 
 
Happy Birthday, Cezanne
_____
drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.
Image is a google-doodle celebrating Paul Cezanne's 172nd birthday.

12 comments:

VR Barkowski said...

Thank you for the reminder, Rayna. My current WIP was inspired by a Cézanne still life. I shall toast the great man tonight.

Anonymous said...

Rayna - Thanks for this post :-). I happen to like Cézanne's work very much, so I'm happy that you featured this painting. My family and I once went to a wonderful presentation of his work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art - a memorable visit :-)

Jen said...

Lovely tribute. I haven't looked at his work much (I'm too addicted to van Gogh to leave his side for too long) but I shall. In fact, I'm Googling him now :D

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Now I know why that image is on the Google home page today!

Al said...

Happy Birthday Cezanne!
Like Jen I am a van Gogh addict

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Happy Birthday, Cezanne!

"google-doodle" I never heard that one before. You teach me something everyday.

Sueann said...

I recently went to an Impressionists show and they all took my breath away!!
Happy Birthday Cezanne!
Hugs
SueAnn

Danette said...

Very nice tribute! I'm a Monet fan myself and remain faithful to him always but all artists deserve their day.

Jemi Fraser said...

I love wandering art galleries and seeing the different styles. I was also pleased today with the Google header - I showed my students and they wanted to know all about it - so know they know a little bit about Cezanne :)

Jacqueline Howett said...

The first five lines of your post read to me like poetry. With tweak here and there I would save it as so!

Love the way you describe!

I wished Cezanne a Happy Birthday, by placing up my own art work on my Blog, about making a coffee book one day. Then I realised, I hadn't mentioned much about the artist. Glad someone did!

I enjoyed reading all the comments.

Jacqueline Howett, Author, Poet, Artist.
http://jacquelinehowett.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I think I will add 'go to an art museum' to my to do list for this year.

Natasha said...

@ Vera- really? I do look forward to reading the book in that case. I adore Cezanne.

@ Margot - he is my favourite painter. I like a lot of them, but somehow, nobody speaks to me as much as he does.

@ Jen - Van Gogh and Cezanne are the two extremes of the Impressionists. I like both of them, but like Cezanne just that little bit more.

@ Alex- now you do!
Incidentally, that image is a composite of three of his famous still lifes.

@ Al - and a great painter he is too.

@ Mary - I thought everyone knew google doodle, or I would have used the term before. Google doodle often reminds me of things I would have otherwise forgotten.

@ SueAnn- they are all fantastic, aren't they? Individually brilliant, collectively mindblowing.

@ Danette- Monet is third on my list after Cezanne and Van Gogh. Renoir after that. I love them all in different ways and for different reasons, and any would make me pause.

@ Jemi - that is one good thing google doodle does, isn't it? And while I love art, we don't have too many art galleries in India showing my kind of art work.

@ Jacqueline- never thought of it as poetry, but now that you mention it, it could be.
And I read your post, though it didn't let me leave a comment- to anyone who knows Cezanne, the tribute is obvious.

@ Susanne- you really should. It can be quite a moving experience.

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