Review by Choice Review
Cezanne and Beyond is the handsome and hefty catalogue published to accompany an exhibition recently held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rishel explains the rationale for the exhibition in his introductory comments, noting that artists from a range of backgrounds and generations were profoundly influenced by the Aix master's example. Some repeated his dedication to sensory experience, while others adopted his single-mindedness. Eighteen essays written by some of the top scholars in the field, including Richard Shiff, Yve-Alain Bois, and John Elderfield, trace the impact of Paul Cezanne's art on artists ranging from Henri Matisse to Brice Marden. Little convincing is needed in the case of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, but a bit more is required for farther-flung artists like Ellsworth Kelly and Jeff Wall. One of the great revelations of this volume is the group of early Cezanne-mimicking canvases of Arshile Gorky, executed before his turn to abstract expressionism. This volume could easily have been titled Cezanne's Lessons, since its message is that the artists that responded productively to Cezanne's example did so in unique, compelling ways. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. M. T. Simms California State University, Long Beach
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Accompanying the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Spring 2009 exhibition, this book of prints and essays examines the influence of Cezanne, once called "the linchpin in the history of modernism," on 19 modern and post-modern artists. Essayists take many different approaches. Describing Cezanne as "not only the primary form maker of his era but also its primary form breaker," Robert Storr discusses the debt owed by Pop artists like Richard Hamilton. John Elderfield makes a compelling case for Cezanne's influence on the divergent work of Picasso, who said that "it's not what the artist does that counts, but what he is. Cezanne's anxiety-that's Cezanne's lesson." Other artists discussed include Gorky, Jasper Johns and Matisse (who called Cezanne "a sort of god of painting"). The book itself is beautiful, containing color reproductions of work by Cezanne and the 19 artists considered, plus a few more. An informative introduction traces Cezanne's influence across Europe, during his life and after, referring often to the 1895 exhibition which would have been viewed by many of the artists mentioned. This close examination, buttressed by gorgeous plates, makes this a standout volume on the popular artist. (Mar.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Review by Library Journal Review
This hefty catalog accompanying the show of the same name at the Philadelphia Museum of Art highlights Cezanne's influence on a diverse group of established, emerging, and, in some cases, revered artists. Nineteen scholars, including the organizers of the show, have contributed essays that link a specific artist or artists to Cezanne, discussing how his or her work extracts certain facets from the Cezanne diamond mine. Chapters range from the expected ("Cezanne and Matisse: From Apprenticeship to Creative Misreading") to the unusual ("Cezanne and Giacometti: An Odd Couple"). Lengthening the thread of art history through the 20th century is the inclusion of post-World War II artists such as Ellsworth Kelly and, more recently, Brice Marden. A detailed, illustrated chronology introduces the text, which is fully footnoted and rich in 485 germane color reproductions as well as 85 in black and white. This massive undertaking will reward patient viewers with a more complete understanding of the depth and breadth of one of modern art's most important painters. For students in particular, it takes art history one notch back from Picasso and Matisse to Cezanne. For all museum, academic, public, and special libraries.-Ellen Bates, New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
