Paul Cezanne was born in France, in the mid-1800, and is considered, the father of all contemporary fellow artists, of his time. That name sake and the many accolades, which were presented to this post-impressionist painter, came not from the critics and the general public, but from Picasso and Matisse, themselves. This is a high honor, especially coming from those two individuals, which are considered artistic geniuses, in their use of imagery and innovation, and their obvious mastery of all things creative. Paul Cezanne and his work, especially in the early 20th century, demonstrated the artistic-mastery of composition, color, design and craftsmanship, Cezanne possessed. Cezanne demonstrated the subtle and wide open brush-strokes that are repeated time and time again, in his mid-career paintings. Paul Cezanne loved nature and this shows in his paintings and other works of art.
With an interest that bordered upon fanatical, in fine detail, especially that of his eye for natural detailed beauty, this conveyance with the complexity of human visual perception, led to the initiation of his name as one of the masters of artistic talents. Cezanne’s work transcends both time and space in its visual clarity and strikes many first-time onlookers with so much force, many viewers are left wide-eyed and more informed then when they previously viewed the work of art. This is an important detail and aspect that is used as a benchmark, for all great artists and the appreciation that their work instills, on the viewing public. Paul Cezanne’s ‘Still Life: Fruit and Jug on a Table’, is one of his most famous oil paintings. “When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a G-d made object, like a tree or flower, if it clashes, it is not art.” Cézannes was heard of saying when explaining this magnificent oil creation. Cézannes style is a combination of human perception and a love of all things natural and worldly. Cezanne valued art in its single most understandable and beloved principal, that it had the ability, if done correctly, to capture the timeless beauty of the works of G-d and nature.
Much of Cezanne’s art, especially in his transition period, between the 19th and 20th century, demonstrated his determination and dogged-style, in attempting to capture the moment, as it unfolded, onto his own eyes. The basic principle which is that art should bring out deep and intense emotional feelings, for the viewer, or it cannot be deemed art out all, is what Paul Cezanne based his life and work around. When looking at ‘Still Life: Fruit and Jug on a Table’, one is struck with the immediate responsive-feeling, that the artists manufactures’ through the use of vibrant colors and purposefully dulled color variations is what made Cezanne, so popular. The vibrant colors, which were popular in nearly all 20th-century artist palettes, directly related to the high-grabbing attention that the red, orange, and golden-yellow, command in ‘Still Life: Fruit and Jug on a Table’. Cezanne’s work of art was painted sometime between the years 1893 and 1894.
The majority of Cezanne’s art, most particularly the later works, are heavily influenced by painters like Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, Braque, and Klee, who have colorfully described Cezanne as the ‘father of all artistic creations in the 20th century’. The explanation of why and how, so many respected and treasured painters, such as Picasso, Matisse, would pay such honor and respect to Cezanne, especially when the competition for works of art was intense and sometimes unrelentingly nonpartisan, springs from the fact that Cezanne demonstrated passion. This passion, coupled with a fervent reaction to the excepted norms, that were previously unmovable, in the field of artistic endeavors, earned Cezanne his title. The title ‘father of modern art’, is most easily seen in this body of work, ‘Still Life: Fruit and Jug on a Table’, and will be forever discussed, as one of the most important works of art, in the 20th century.
