Introducing the Outsiders Page 1 of 5

Exploring Post-Impressionism: Paul Cézanne and Vincent Van Gogh

Instructor: Diana Gordon

Course Description

Enliven your paintings by learning and experimenting with the bold brushwork, vibrant colours and

energized compositions of master painters, Cézanne and Van Gogh. Many artists, including the Group of

7, have been inspired by these lively “painting as drawing” techniques. Through short weekly exercises,

you’ll experiment with different methods of composing a scene, selecting hues and making marks. Then,

apply this knowledge to your own compositions. Acrylics, oils and/or watercolour. All levels. Part 1:

Cézanne and the Art of the Still-Life (5 weeks), Part 2: Van Gogh and Modelling Landscape (5 weeks).

My Approach

I hope to provide you a relaxed, enjoyable learning environment, no matter what your level of

experience. My approach is hands-on: learn first by analyzing (drawing thumbnails, observation, class

discussion), then by doing individual exercises and paintings, with lots of individual attention.

Course Structure

In this course, we will first explore Cézanne (5 weeks) - in particular, his paintings of apples and other

fruit and how he composes a Still Life. You will then work on an individual project at your own level - be

it a copy of a Cézanne; a close-up detail of one of his works; or your own still life set-up using some of

his techniques.

Cézanne Pitcher and Fruits on a Table, 1893, Private Collection. ( Leca, ed. AGH Catalogue

Pate 20 pg 219)

Inside Cézanne’s Studio at Aix-en-Provence (Internet photo)

In the Van Gogh section, the last 5 weeks - we will examine and do exercises on how Van Gogh draws his

landscapes first with pen and ink, then with paint. You will then paint a landscape - either one of his, or

one based on your own photo or sketch; or even taking one of his sketches and converting it into paint!

Introducing the Outsiders Page 2 of 5

Van Gogh Wheatfield with Cypresses July 1889, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Reed-pen drawing, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (F1538)

Introducing the Outsiders Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906) and Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), along with Paul Gauguin (1849-1903),

were part of a new art movement, later called Post-Impressionism.

[These] Post-Impressionists blazed through 19th-century art to create an unforgettable

vision of the world. But you wouldn't want them living next door.

They were rebels against their society, who were shunned, abused and even (on one

occasion) run out of town by a mob. They were changing art and remaking the very

nature of perception: revolutionising the way we saw the world. Even today, to engage

with their art is to have your senses reopened and your contact with reality renewed… (Source: Jonathan Jones, The Guardian Art Blog 2010)

QUESTIONS: Why are these 2 artists so important, even today? Why is their work worth analyzing and

copying? What can we learn from studying them? What techniques and approaches can we apply to our

own work?

Cézanne’s Contributions (Still Life) masterful use of Pure and Semi-neutral Colours (saturated and dull hues)

saturated colours - for foreground objects like fruit ( e.g. bright orange) against semi-neutral or greyed hues in backgrounds ( e.g. raw sienna)

unique Compositions – directional movement around the canvas serve to animate a “still” life (In French Still Life is La Nature morte or dead nature)

distinctive diagonal Brushwork - short parallel strokes in planes or facets to construct objects

Deliberate arrangement of still life set-ups compositions in the studio,

Methodical, slow and layered application of paint

Use of Distorted Space or skewed perspective - he tilts bottles, vases, bowls and even the table tops. (That is why some said he couldn't draw!)

Cézanne’s work heavily influenced Post-Impressionist painters such as Gaugin, Van Gogh, later Picasso and Braque (Cubism), the Group of 7 (“a Canadian school of painting”) and Matisse (Fauvism).

Picasso called Cézanne the “father of us all” (Modern Art).

Introducing the Outsiders Page 3 of 5

Cézanne Still Life with a Curtain 1895, The Hermitage Museum

Van Gogh’s Contributions (later Landscapes) Use of Vivid Colours to express his emotional response to a view, not depicting reality.

Use of strong complementary hues ( opposites on Colour Wheel)

Mixed paints right on canvas

Distinctive mark making – each texture rendered as different line work (Pen and Ink) or brushstrokes (Paintings)

Experimental, energized, quick application of paint en plein air

Tremendous output, sometimes one painting a day

Van Gogh used an impulsive, gestural application of paint and symbolic colors to express subjective

emotions. These methods and practice came to define many subsequent modern movements from

Fauvism to Abstract Expressionism. (Source: The ArtStory.com/vangogh)

Van Gogh Thatched cottages at Cordeville Van Gogh Starry Night over the Rhone

Photos by S. Safranyos taken at Musee d’Orsay, Paris 2018

Introducing the Outsiders Page 4 of 5

Diana’s Brief Summary Both these artists learned traditional techniques of art (called the Academy method – Académie

des Beaux Arts), with short stints in art school and daily practice on their own.

While in Paris, both came under the influence of a new art movement called Impressionism

practised by Monet, Seurat and Camille Pissarro (a friend and mentor of Cézanne). Van Gogh later

encountered Lautrec and Gauguin.

Both artists copied the work of others to enhance their skills and learn new techniques. Cézanne

copied Pissarro. Van Gogh copied from Japanese woodblocks prints and from many Jean-François

Millet’s (1814-1875) engravings of peasants. These paintings are at the Van Gogh Museum in

Amsterdam.

Both left Paris for the south of France, finding the art scene and climate of Paris too confining

and hostile. Both produced a large body of work including drawings, engravings as well as paintings.

Both have well-documented lives through letters and accounts – with some mysteries. Both were

enigmatic personalities in their own way.

Cézanne was born in Aix-en-Provence and spent the rest of his long life in the Mediterranean

climate of southern France. His studio still life set-ups depict the red pears of Provence, rural style

crockery and the bright light of the south.

Cézanne’s methodically layered still life paintings are lively, energetic and

bursting with vitality – yet his apples do not quite fall off the table or out of

the canvas.

Cézanne Basket of Apples 1893,

Art Institute of Chicago

Introducing the Outsiders Page 5 of 5

Cézanne was considered an “old man” when Van Gogh moved to Arles. He wanted a change from the

northern light, drab scenery and competitive art world, seeking out “a more Japanese-style landscape”.

The south of France provided Van Gogh with an explosion of colour and light in pink spring-blossoming

trees, yellow-orange wheat fields against blue mountains, violet irises and white-washed villages.

His best known, and perhaps finest works were done while living at the Yellow House in Arles and at the

asylum in Saint Rémy (near Avignon) and finally, under the care of Dr. Gachet at Auvers- sur-Oise (north

of Paris), all in the last 3 years of his short life.

Van Gogh’s landscapes in the last years of his short life, have an explosive,

spontaneous, and breath-taking vitality.

Van Gogh Landscape with Olive Trees 1889, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Let’s learn from these Master Painters….

Useful Links : Brief Introductions to Cézanne and Van Gogh

https://mymodernmet.com/paul-Cézanne-paintings/

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pcez/hd_pcez.htm

Jackie Craven 10 Most-Loved Paintings by Vincent van Gogh https://www.thoughtco.com/greatest-paintings-by-van-gogh-4154730

Marion Boddy- Evans Palettes of the Masters https://www.thoughtco.com/palettes-of-the-masters-vincent-van-gogh-2573701

Introducing Cézanne and Van Gogh… D. Gordon… Updated Sept. 2019