Bonheir De Vivre And Les Demoiselles
Paul Cezanne was credited with saying, “When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God made object like a tree or a flower. If it clashes, it is not art.” I believe in was in Cezanne’s style to focus on natural things, trees, bodies, water. And it is apparent that other artists, throughout time have also focused on these things but have also channeled into Cezanne’s inspiration, dug deep down in order to muster their own images. Matisse’s Bonheir de Vivre and Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon are both examples of work that drew inspiration from Cezanne. I will be discussing their similarities to Cezanne’s greatest work but I will also be discussing how they did not follow in Cezanne’s footprints.
Paul Cezanne, a French painter
from 1839-1906 did many paintings in his lifetime. However, his last painting, The Large Bathers, was one of the largest and most monumental of his career (Philadelphia Museum of Art. n.d.). A central theme in his life’s work, The Large Bathers was an exploration of the nude human body with a subtle, natural background of trees, blue skies, clouds, and what looks to be a body of water, presumably where the women would be bathing. Cezanne wanted to create something timeless. I think that he achieved that and more. With the tranquil scene, it is almost like you are looking in on the bathers’ secret world. The colors in Cezanne’s piece are very calm, very natural; tones of blues, browns, and greens. The Large Bathers is considered a post-impressionism painting due to its real life subject matter, vibrant coloring, and thick paint application.
While the colors in Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre are much bolder and unnatural (the trunks of the trees are green, the leaves gold and blood-orange, what appears to be a horizon in a light peach color) there are obvious correlations to Cezanne’s Large Bathers. Both paintings depict naked bodies lounging languidly near a pool of water, though in Matisse’s, the water seems to be a bit farther off and the scene seems to be a bit more recreational. Instead of bathing, figures can be seen affectionately caressing one another, dancing, and playing what looks to be a clarinet. Side by side, there are obvious differences, of course. Matisse decided to be bold, with bright, contrasting colors that helped to feed the mood of the picture, the warmth. The green and blue feeds the orange and goldenrod like a fire, allowing it to bloom into magnificence.
Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, again, is reflective of Cezanne’s bathers. There are nude bodies and what appears to be towels in both paintings. Picasso’s work is a pink-fleshed work, like bodies in a sauna while Cezanne’s ladies were fair and toning in the sunlight. Picasso’s painting feels almost like they were inside. The geometric shapes in the background as well as the distortion of the body and face call more to the style of cubism than to post-impressionism. The colors are a lot less natural, colder, almost more clinical than the warm tones of Cezanne and the forms are sharper. Cezanne’s bathers are rounded, soft and supple.
In conclusion, there are a lot of similarities between the three pieces. There are obvious distinctions between them. There are also common central themes within the paintings: the nude form, the social aspect of communal bathing, the bathing itself. Overall, I think you could put a variety of painters in front of one scene and each one would create their own vision.
Paul Cezanne, a French painter
from 1839-1906 did many paintings in his lifetime. However, his last painting, The Large Bathers, was one of the largest and most monumental of his career (Philadelphia Museum of Art. n.d.). A central theme in his life’s work, The Large Bathers was an exploration of the nude human body with a subtle, natural background of trees, blue skies, clouds, and what looks to be a body of water, presumably where the women would be bathing. Cezanne wanted to create something timeless. I think that he achieved that and more. With the tranquil scene, it is almost like you are looking in on the bathers’ secret world. The colors in Cezanne’s piece are very calm, very natural; tones of blues, browns, and greens. The Large Bathers is considered a post-impressionism painting due to its real life subject matter, vibrant coloring, and thick paint application.
While the colors in Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre are much bolder and unnatural (the trunks of the trees are green, the leaves gold and blood-orange, what appears to be a horizon in a light peach color) there are obvious correlations to Cezanne’s Large Bathers. Both paintings depict naked bodies lounging languidly near a pool of water, though in Matisse’s, the water seems to be a bit farther off and the scene seems to be a bit more recreational. Instead of bathing, figures can be seen affectionately caressing one another, dancing, and playing what looks to be a clarinet. Side by side, there are obvious differences, of course. Matisse decided to be bold, with bright, contrasting colors that helped to feed the mood of the picture, the warmth. The green and blue feeds the orange and goldenrod like a fire, allowing it to bloom into magnificence.
Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, again, is reflective of Cezanne’s bathers. There are nude bodies and what appears to be towels in both paintings. Picasso’s work is a pink-fleshed work, like bodies in a sauna while Cezanne’s ladies were fair and toning in the sunlight. Picasso’s painting feels almost like they were inside. The geometric shapes in the background as well as the distortion of the body and face call more to the style of cubism than to post-impressionism. The colors are a lot less natural, colder, almost more clinical than the warm tones of Cezanne and the forms are sharper. Cezanne’s bathers are rounded, soft and supple.
In conclusion, there are a lot of similarities between the three pieces. There are obvious distinctions between them. There are also common central themes within the paintings: the nude form, the social aspect of communal bathing, the bathing itself. Overall, I think you could put a variety of painters in front of one scene and each one would create their own vision.