Started out this morning at the National Gallery of Art to catch the Paul Cezanne portrait show before it closed. Not a big fan of Cezanne. I have seen my share of exhibits of his, including the blockbuster retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art a couple of years ago. This was no blockbuster thankfully. Around 60 paintings in 6 galleries. Many I was already familiar with. A couple were new and lovely. Some of he works that I liked
"Antoine-Fortune Marion" 1870-1871
from The Kunstmuseum
Basel, Switzerland
"Self-Portrait" 1880-1881
from The National Gallery
London, England
"Madame Cezanne in a Red Armchair" circa 1877
from The Museum of Fine Arts
Boston, Massachusetts
"Madame Cezanne in a Striped Dress" 1885-1886
from The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Boy in a Red Waistcoat" 1888-1890
from The Museum of Modern Art
New York, New York
"Girl with a Doll" circa 1895
from a private collection
Detail from "Girl with a Doll"
I was fascinated by his treatment of her hands--or more accurately lack of any treatment. He did this in several of the paintings leaving it to the viewer's mind to construct what wasn't there. Such a curious demonstration of the mind's ability to see things--to not simply record reality, but to create it when necessary.
"Old Woman with a Rosary" 1895-1896
from The National Gallery
London, England
"The Gardener Vallier" 1905-1906
from The Tate Gallery
London, England
"Still Life with a Skull" circa 1885
from The White House Collection
Washington, D. C.










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