The Brook by Paul Cézanne
Look first

The Brook

Paul Cézanne · c. 1895–1900

A stream and trees become a puzzle of color patches held in balance.

What to notice

Instead of tracing outlines, follow the changes from green to blue to orange; the forms emerge from adjacent color rather than drawing.

Discover

Cézanne moved beyond Impressionism’s fleeting light toward a more structural kind of seeing. In this landscape, color itself builds the creek, foliage, and space.

Source institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights status: CC0 / Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access
Cleveland Museum of Art
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