January 19, 2010

Happy Birthday, Paul Cezanne day in 1839, this French artist is considered by many, including Matisse and Picasso, to be the father of modern painting.

Born on this date in 1839, Cezanne came out of Impressionism, in which painters used visible brush strokes to explore ordinary subject matter, with an emphasis on changing light conditions. Cezanne's works are usually classified as Post-Impressionist; they are famous for small, repetitive brush strokes and planes of brilliant color. He focused on the basic forms (such as cones, cylinders, and spheres) found in nature and also on optical effects. Cezanne created hundreds of paintings—landscapes, still life compositions, portraits (including the self-portrait seen here), and other assorted paintings.

Here is a great website to help you explore Cezanne's life and works. There is an illustrated story, a tutorial about forms, a quiz, a computer art activity, a suggested “on paper” art activity, and much more.

At Olga's Gallery, you can scroll through small images of Cezanne's painting. Click the ones you want to see in a larger format.
Complete this jigsaw puzzle to see one of Cezanne's still life masterpieces.

At the Garden of Praise, you can read about Cezanne and do a variety of puzzles about him and his works. You can also explore the rest of the Garden of Praise art lessons and puzzles.


For the very young, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (in NYC) has a charming sing-along called “Cezanne's Apples.”