I’m back from my “raid” on London, and back in communication. It was an interesting experience for a variety of reasons which will probably become apparent over the rest of the coming week. The large Cezanne exhibition at Tate Modern was an unbelievable privilege. Fancy the opportunity to see eleven rooms full of his work! It was curious to note how much my basic frame of reference in looking at his work had been laid down by Mr. Wilson’s classes while I was at grammar school. When I thought about it, however, there have been few opportunities for me to gain his acquaintance in any depth since then. (The Courtauld has a fine landscape by him, and we did spend some time in Aix many years ago.) I did try to set aside any reading I had done and to look at his painting as if it was for the first time.
I was rather taken aback by how poor his figure drawing was, which perhaps explains the speed with which he abandoned this in favour of still-life and landscape. Even the occasional portrait of his wife struck me as lacking spirit somehow. Much to my own surprise I responded most positively to his still-life studies, although his celebrated obsession with Mt. Sainte-Victoire did bring home his remarkable command of aerial perspective achieved through a very subtle use of colour. Thinking of my own obsessive involvement with Almscliff Crag I can appreciate what it is to find oneself returning time and time again to the same subject. His still-life studies did call to mind the much more recent work of Giorgio Morandi …. although with fruit instead of bottles and jugs. This is not a trivial observation, and it is one that I will want to think about a good deal more.* This kind of material did bring out to me his mastery of composition.
London is, as ever, too large, too expensive, too noisy and too dirty, but it was worthy enduring all of this to get to know Cezanne better.
*Incidentally, there is to be a Morandi exhibition, I gather, at the Estorick Collection, in the New Year. I shall have to make a point of seeing that.