French painter Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) found complexity in the world around him and engaged with it through his art. His landscapes appear impossible to enter, his still lifes tilt forward at dizzying angles, and the sitters in his portraits withhold attention. Though he was a peer of the Impressionists, sometimes participating in their exhibitions and working alongside them, Cézanne’s vision and art departs from theirs in ways both subtle and startling.
Featuring 12 paintings by Cézanne in conversation with work by Degas, Pissarro, Renoir, and others, “Cézanne: In and Out of Time” looks at the trailblazing artist and considers what sets him apart. Similar subject matter—portraits, landscapes, and still lifes—demonstrates a shared commitment between Cézanne and his contemporaries to observing the material world. But Cézanne avoided depicting the fleeting aspects of nature that absorbed the Impressionists, choosing instead to investigate space and form, observing and working in a protracted, unhurried way.
