letters from paul cézanne

An endearing element of Paul Cezanne’s legacy is that while he paralleled his paintings with those of the classic Renaissance tradition of Western art, his innovative body of work created a break with the traditions of the twentieth century. Reading Cézanne’s letters lead to the conclusion that he literalized what he saw, calling the conversion of light to his eyes to his sensations. The problem that Cézanne gave to himself was how to interpret an art that is expressed, not a worn-out set of artistic agreements, but a new visual language that explained what was actually seen, and not what was known. Reading the letters reminded the intimacy he shared with his paintings, and his exiled life from the normalcy’s of life. He clamored about how he’d rather die painting rather than going through the ordinary troubles of life, forever attached his curious fate as an artist.