Subtle Maneuvers

Subtle Maneuvers

Share this post

Subtle Maneuvers
Subtle Maneuvers
Cézanne on the artistic temperament

Cézanne on the artistic temperament

“With only a little temperament, one can be a lot of painter.”

Mason Currey's avatar
Mason Currey
Jun 07, 2021
∙ Paid
5

Share this post

Subtle Maneuvers
Subtle Maneuvers
Cézanne on the artistic temperament
Share

Welcome to the latest issue of Subtle Maneuvers. Previously: Advice on insomnia.


Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)

Cézanne painting Mont Sainte-Victoire in 1906

The opening yesterday of the exhibition Cézanne Drawing at MoMA seemed like a good excuse to look into the legendary French artist’s creative process. So, last week, I spent some time with Alex Danchev’s 2012 biography, Cézanne: A Life, to see what I could find out. In particular, I was looking for information on Cézanne’s concept of réalisation, which I first read about in a 1988 interview with the English painter Bridget Riley (found in this book). Talking about her own process, Riley said:

In making the paintings I proceed step by step, and test the ground before I make a move. . . . In a daydream way I have a sort of hunger about what I am going to do, or rather about the sensation I want the painting to precipitate or convey. It’s actually bringing this sensation into existence that is the difficulty; what Cézanne called ‘realization’.

In his biography, Danchev never really defines réalisation, but you get a strong sense of it nonetheless. For Cézanne, it didn’t just mean that a given work “succeeded,” exactly; it was more elusive than that. It involved a union of subject matter and the artist’s unique perception of that subject matter. As Riley said, it was about bringing a specific sensation into existence for the viewer. And, for Cézanne, it was tied up with the idea of temperament. Danchev writes:

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Mason Currey
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share