.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Cézanne believed that the only way to reproduce nature faithfully was through practice and continual familiarization. Oil painting and all it's accoutrements did not allow him the freedom offered by watercolors. In addition, although the watercolors often share a common theme with his oil paintings, they were seldom executed as preparatory sketches: "His watercolors exist in their own right and cannot be viewed as a systematic workshop procedure beginning with the sketch and developing through intermediate stages to the finished oil paintings" (J. Coplans, Cézanne watercolors, Los Angeles, 1967, p. 11).
Cézanne's watercolors reflect the private quality of his nature. 'All of [his] watercolors have this in common: lack of finish. Because they were intended for personal satisfaction, because they are a soliloquy of the artist himself, they create almost initmate appeal. Hence they tell us what Cézanne has to say in his own words, in his most spontaneous moments, without any effort to win over the reluctant public. And to those who love Cézanne, his watercolors are the dearest creations of his imagination' (L. Venturi, Paul Cézanne Watercolors, Oxford, 1943, p. 47).
Cézanne's watercolors reflect the private quality of his nature. 'All of [his] watercolors have this in common: lack of finish. Because they were intended for personal satisfaction, because they are a soliloquy of the artist himself, they create almost initmate appeal. Hence they tell us what Cézanne has to say in his own words, in his most spontaneous moments, without any effort to win over the reluctant public. And to those who love Cézanne, his watercolors are the dearest creations of his imagination' (L. Venturi, Paul Cézanne Watercolors, Oxford, 1943, p. 47).