The artwork titled “View of Gardanne” is a significant piece created by the Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne in the year 1886. This cityscape painting is rendered in oil on canvas and measures 92 cm in height by 74.6 cm in width. Exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, NY, US, the artwork embodies the Post-Impressionism movement’s characteristic departure from the precise naturalism of Impressionism towards more abstract visual angles and geometric simplification.
The artwork presents an elevated view of the French town of Gardanne. In this composition, Cezanne adeptly breaks down the landscape into a series of geometric shapes, providing a fractured perspective that harmoniously blends architecture with nature. The painting diverges from realistic color representation and instead uses a rich palette to enhance the sensation of depth and structural form. A strong sense of rhythm is conveyed through the juxtaposition of the compact houses with their terracotta roofs, and the lush greenery surrounding the town. The central church tower emerges as a focal point, amidst the undulating hills that stretch into the distant background. Cezanne’s distinctive brushstrokes impart a tactile surface texture that enlivens the inanimate structures within the urban setting. This technique arguably foreshadows the later developments of Cubism, tracing back to Cezanne’s innovative treatment of form and color.
