Cezanne (Hardcover)

by Francoise Cachin (Author), Isabelle Cahn (Author), Walter Feilchenfeldt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This exemplary exhibition catalogue, published in conjunction with a major international Cezanne retrospective, is a handsome tribute to the artist who revolutionized modern painting. The 258 color and 350 black-and-white reproductions of Cezanne's (1839-1906) oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and sketchbook pages are splendid, and they are accompanied by lucid, insightful com- mentaries, authoritative yet refreshingly devoid of scholarly pretension. Many of the painter's own statements on art are included, as are excerpts from the writings of critics and art historians who have assessed his work from 1865 to the present. There is also an extensive chronology of the artist's life. Cachin is president of the National Museums of France; Cahn is archivist of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris; Loyrette is director of the Musee d'Orsay and Rishel is senior curator of European painting before 1900 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. BOMC selection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In the catalog to the Cezanne exhibition showing in Paris, London, and Philadelphia, Director of the Musees de France Cachin, Philadelphia Museum of Art curator Joseph J. Rishel, and staff at the Musee d'Orsay have taken great care in presenting the multifaceted and enigmatic genius. The bulk of the book is taken up by over 175 color and many black-and-white reproductions of every piece in the show, segmented by decade and accompanied by informative essays authored by organizing committee members. The authors also provide a glimpse of the artist through his own words as well as many anecdotal commentaries and work by historical figures who knew him. The development of Cezanne criticism is briefly traced from its early days to its present-day esteem for the artist. The chronology is detailed, illustrated, and authoritative. The book is a prelude to John Rewald's forthcoming and much-awaited The Paintings of Paul Cezanne: A Catalogue Raisonee (Abrams, 1996). As such, and as a record of the long overdue, large-scale retrospective, it is a worthwhile addition to all modern art and comprehensive collections.?Ellen Bates, New York Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810940396
• ISBN-13: 978-0810940390
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #458,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book worthy of "the father of us all", March 15, 2001

By	Dr. J. Adam Shaw (Glen Ellen, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Picasso, speaking about modern art and artists, referred to Cezanne as "the father of us all." He was that rare artist whose vision -and ability to express it- was so keen and unique that it can actually impact the way we se the world around us. (How often I look into the trees and think "that looks like a Cezanne.") More than any other book of his work this volume succeeds in showing the sweep and depth of Cezanne's genius. The reproductions are superb and plentiful. The descriptive text accompanying each image, while interesting, needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as is often the case in catalogues of this nature. But the truth is I buy art books for the pictures! For text, try Rewald's book which is also excellent and contains some paintings not elsewhere printed, and deals extensively with the relationship between Cezanne and Zola. I also recommend Gotz Adriani's book on Cezanne. But if you can only have one, this is it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cezanne, January 10, 2000

By	Katherine Carter "lubyanka" (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a must for art lovers, in general, and for 19th cent. french art lovers, specifically. Rich in colour images and a detailed editorial on each piece. Also gives the history of ownership.

Absolutely wonderful. A must.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cezanne is great but this book could have been better, February 24, 2000

By	C McGurk (Southern California) - See all my reviews

The clumsy, poorly written text in the first few chapters is almost impossible to read. Since it's so disjointed and quotes too much from Cezanne's personal letters or from other writings, I skipped over a large portion of this. I was also surprised that the authors tried to make Cezanne into some sort of religious deity, rather than a master of his art; it could be marketing hype accompanying the show, but Cezanne's work speaks for itself. In spite of these flaws, the painting and sketches are wonderfully reproduced, and the accompanying description is pretty good. But because the accompanying description is always laudatory and doesn't adequately talk about his mistakes, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between Cezanne's masterpieces and his OK work. The best part is learning what other artist, such as Monet and Matisse, owned what Cezanne painting (and then trying to speculate on why they liked a painting so much).