First impression(ist)s

From Germany at the beginning of the 17th Century we take the short hop to the South of France in the mid 19th Century. From a Doctor of Theology to a Student of Law. This particular student has a dream of being an artist, but rather than selling his soul, he simply enrols at the free school of drawing (much easier), and then moves to Paris.


We're into chapter 3 of book 1 now, and we're looking at the artist Cézanne. He was quite a determined fellow, submitting work to the Salon (THE major art exhibition of the time) for almost twenty years before he finally had a work admitted. However, it was what he did during this period that sets him apart.


Cézanne and a group of other independent artists (little known names such as Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Degas...), unhappy with the influence of the Acadamy of Fine Arts, held their own exhibition outside the Salon. They became known as the Impressionists.


As for Cézanne's paintings? Well I'm afraid I just couldn't grasp the concept of evaluating them, so I quickly skimmed over the rest of the chapter, though if YOU want to look at them there's a link below...


http://ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/