Cezanne changed forever the way we think and see. He painted his mountain, Mont Sainte-Victoire, located outside of Aix en Provence, sixty times. A painting of it was the last painting he was working on when he died. He is probably best known for his series of Bathers paintings and still-lifes or the Card Players (he had workers who were at his house to do repair work, pose for him). He is also known for his very solemn/stiff portraits of his wife…who was his mistress for 17 years before he married her. They had 1 son. She decided to move to Paris- he remained in Aix.
We saw some of these paintings in The Granet Museum but were disappointed there was only 1 painting, a watercolor, of his favorite mountain. You would think that since he was born/died/and lived most of his life in Aix there would be more originals. Alas, the art world is a world of currency and none of the museum’s benefactors must have been collectors of his work.
For us, the mountain became a compass, a type of beacon, guiding us in the right direction and letting us know we were closer to home. We once got lost trying to find the start of one of the hiking trails and gave up as it was getting dark…around 10:30 p.m. ! It was a soothing familiar backdrop as we relaxed in the villa’s pool & jacuzzi. We drove all the way around his mountain one evening and it was magical. At times it felt like you were entering another dimension. The way the light danced and played with its jagged contours was breathtaking. I now understand why art historians say that Cubism was born here in the angles of the rock.
Cezanne painted not just a mountain, but the idea of a mountain. He influenced many artists and his Post-Impressionistic style of painting laid the groundwork for cubism. Both Picasso and Matisse called Cezanne, ‘the father of us all.’ Picasso loved this mountain as well and bought a chateau near it and was buried there.
One of the things that we love about art is the way it helps you create a connection between a place or emotion and the artist who created it. We feel blessed to have spent a month exploring and watching this mountain together.
Some pics of our views of the mountain from various angles over the last month…
