Sunday, March 28, 2004
Cézanne and Zola
This article about a book comparing Cézanne and Zola has the charms of cocktail party chatter. Both the subject content and the review yenta-up theory — they draw conclusions about disparate artists to point to the cleverness of the observer. This can be somewhat interesting — but only if you are bored and sated with things at the moment.
The artists were friends and of the same time and place — no great surprise if the work they created had some resonance.
Cézanne was a nasty sort from what I have read. He was a rustic revolutionary, distrusting of modernity as he pioneered its introduction.
About them both, this is said:
Posturing and taunting the Establishment honed their talent and helped to publicize it.
This simple statement somewhat summarizes the art of the last one hundred years — sometimes it can seem that is all art is — if you aren't paying attention, to the art.