The Bottom Line
The 600-page exhibition catalog isn't something you're going to read in an afternoon. It's a book to digest over some weeks, learning about Cézanne's style and what famous modern artists have taken from him. It's like an art course in understanding the influence Cézanne and the inspiration he provided. The large format means the reproductions of the paintings are of a nice size too.
Pros
- Shows how Cezanne influenced other major 20th Century artists.
- Large format of the book allows large reproductions of many of the artworks.
- Many of the smaller photos with the essays are reproduced full-page size too.
- Essays on the modern artists are by different writers, so styles vary.
- Beautiful printing, on crisp white paper.
Cons
- Expensive (but it is a large format book with a lot of page and photos).
- Really heavy (read it at a table!).
- Only an index of works illustrated, not a general index.
Description
- Format: 9 3/4" x 13" (23x33cm). Hardcover. Extent: 600 pages. 50 black-and-white and 470 color illustrations.
- Published by Yale University Press. ISBN: 9780300141061.
- 40 paintings and 10 works on paper by Cézanne. Nearly 120 works by a range of modern and contemporary artists.
- Edited by Joseph J Rishel and Katherine Sachs, curators at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
- Contents includes an essay on the making of the exhibition, a chronology, exhibition checklist, index of works illustrated.
- Artists include: Max Beckmann, Georges Braque, Giacometti, Arshile Gorky, Jasper Johns, Mondrian, Matisse, and Picasso.
Guide Review - Cézanne and Beyond Exhibition Catalog
Comparing Cézanne's paintings (mostly oils, but also watercolor) to that of his contemporaries (particularly the Impressionists), it's not hard to see his painting style is distinctive. What is harder to ascertain is who among the famous 20th century artists he influenced, and how. The Cézanne and Beyond exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Feb-May 2009) aimed to fill this gap, and the exhibition catalog a team of art scholars set out to explain it.
The large format of the book means the reproductions of the paintings are a nice size for studying. Sure, it's not standing in front of the actual paintings, but it's the next best thing. (And there's no-one elbowing you to move along.)
The essays on the artists are written by different writers, so styles and readability differs. If you can't get into one, try another. I started with the essays of the artists I knew, and have learned all sorts of new and interesting things. Just the concept of Mondrian being influenced by Cézanne at all, was intriguing. Yet look at his tree paintings (which I'd not seen before) and how they're painting, and the evidence is in front of you of how Mondrian's "attention was focused upon the effect of the highly structured brushstrokes" (p149).
If you're interested in Cézanne, then you've probably already bought this catalog. If you're interested learning about developments and evolution of aspects of 20th century painting, to see how you might use other artist's work to develop and inspire your own painting, and are prepared to spend time reading the text and studying the pictures, then I think this exhibition catalog is one for treating yourself. It's expensive, but there are 600 pages!
