Cleveland Museum of Art

The Brook

Paul Cezanne

Date

c. 1895–1900

Medium

oil on fabric

Culture

France, late 19th-early 20th Century

Department

Modern European Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Although Cezanne exhibited twice with the Impressionists, he rejected his friends’ goals of capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere in their art. Instead, he sought to create balance among the forms and colors in his compositions. This painting depicts the valley of the Arc River that runs southeast of Cezanne’s home in Aix-en-Provence. Throughout the composition, he juxtaposed strokes of different hues, describing the leaves, branches, and the stream with color rather than drawing the outlines of forms. Cezanne rarely did preparatory sketches for his paintings. The shapes on the canvas are provided by tonal contrasts and color sensation.

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