Cezanne in Hamilton

I was able to catch the Hamilton Express bus from Union Station on Sat. and made it down to the special exhibit of Cézanne still lifes (The World is an Apple) at the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH).  Both coming and going, I turned up with about 3 minutes to hustle onto the bus, so that was good timing.  While I had planned on driving down with the family last weekend, the weather was just really poor, and this weekend they were trying out (though not enjoying) karate lessons.  The Cézanne exhibit runs three more weekends, though Feb 8, and is a very reasonable $10.  Crowds were generally light, but will probably increase slightly in the final weeks.  One word of warning is that the AGH doesn't open until noon on weekends, and I was left out in the bitter cold and had to retreat to an indoor farmer's market to warm up and wait it out.  In addition to the Cézanne on display, the upper gallery has 100 key paintings and sculptures from their collection, and this is up through late April.  I will write about this in a separate post (and I might well take the kids to that at some point in late March or early April, depending on the weather).

Then the museum opened, and I moved from the real to the ideal.

There are a few intriguing things about this exhibit, starting with the fact that AGH has no Cézannes in its collection at all, and that the exhibit came about as part of a brainstorm between their new curator and someone workings at the Barnes Foundation.  Here is an interview with the AGH curator about the exhibit.  I don't mind AGH trying to punch about its weight a bit, but I generally prefer exhibits where the hosting institutions have some skin in the game, i.e. are putting up a couple of paintings for display and then loan.

This still life by Georges Braque and two other somewhat similar still lifes from the McMaster Museum of Art (and, no I didn't have a chance to check that out on this trip) were in the same room with the Cézannes but technically not part of the exhibit as they didn't travel down to Philadelphia.

Georges Braque, Nature Morte, 1925-26

It was perhaps even more disappointing that the Barnes Foundation didn't have any skin in the game either.  Due to the covenant restrictions, their many Cézannes cannot be moved even temporarily into a different room for a special exhibition nor can they go on tour.*  So the painting below was not technically part of the exhibit, but it was in the catalog.  I certainly find it quite nice.  I'm kind of torn about the catalog itself, as it is well-done but a bit pricey at $45.  If it comes down to $30 or so down the road, I'd probably get a copy.  Interestingly, it is in the Toronto Public Library (and circulates), whereas the main AGH catalog can only be found in their reference section.

Paul Cézanne. Still Life with Fruit, Pitcher and Fruit-Vase. 1892-94

I was disappointed or even peeved to learn that two of the paintings on view in Philadelphia did not make it up north.  One was from the Guggenheim, and I've most likely seen it before.

Paul Cézanne, Still Life: Flask, Glass, and Jug, ca. 1877

This other Cézanne from the Guggenheim was never part of the exhibit at all, but it is nice (even if it is peaches and not apples on view).  I'm more certain that I have seen this one in person.

Paul Cézanne, Still Life: Plate of Peaches, 1879-80

The exhibit is set up so that the earlier, basically conventional still lifes are in the first room, and the more mature Cézannes are in the second room.  Those are the paintings that definitely require the most attention.  We see grey entering Cézanne's palate in a major way, but more importantly the spatial orientation is just a bit off (more noticeably in some paintings than others).  This is the aspect of Cézanne's work that caused Picasso and other cubists to agree that Cézanne was one of their primary influences.

As it happens, back in 2009 I managed to sneak away to see the block-buster Cézanne show in Philadelphia -- Cézanne and Beyond.  That was far more focused on landscapes and portraits, though there were some key later still life paintings that could be read as precursors to cubism.  Here are two that I liked quite a bit (note, these are not in Hamilton).

From the Philips Collection in DC:

Paul Cézanne, Ginger Pot with Pomegranate and Pears, 1893

 
And from the Getty in L.A. (this was probably on view when I visited the Getty, but it is hard to recall):

Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Apples, 1893-94

It would have been quite the coup to get the Getty painting in the second room next to this gorgeous painting on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, but at least I have them paired (peared) here.

Paul Cézanne, The Kitchen Table, 1888-90

In my view, The Kitchen Table is the highlight of The World is an Apple, and is worth studying with as much care as one can devote to it.  The others in the second room are quite nice, but they are mostly in private collections and harder to find on-line, so you might need to purchase the catalog to ensure that you have access to them.

So only three weeks left to see 19 Cézannes in Hamilton.  Need I say more?

Of course I can.  A friend from a jazz blog pointed out this amazing still life also from the Musée d'Orsay.  As much as I like it, I think it might have proven to be too much of a contrast with the vases and spice pots of the other paintings, though the wine bottle would tie together with the Getty's still life.  (Even though I hate, hate, hate onions, I find this an incredibly soothing painting and have set it as my computer background at work.  Whatever works, right?)

Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Onions, 1896-98

Now I've been to the Musée d'Orsay twice, and I remember a few key paintings, but it is not always clear that the paintings in the gallery guide are actually the same as those on display.  I probably saw both these Cézannes, but I couldn't swear to it.  One of the advantages of this exhibit, unlike some of the blockbusters, is that you really could focus on the paintings without the thousand other key masterworks clamouring for attention (and certainly dozens of fellow art lovers).  That said, now that I have become attuned to these particular still lifes, I will take careful note to see if I do see them on my next trip to Paris (sadly, not even on the radar, but some day...).  It's the same thing with Max Beckmann where I am determined to note if I actually have seen each triptych or not.

Ok, I simply cannot resist the temptation to share one more incredible still life from the Musée d'Orsay.

Paul Cézanne, Apples and Oranges, 1899

If this isn't an inducement to book a return visit, I don't know what would do it.  I certainly long to return but will have to wait another few years at least.

* Not withstanding the extremely controversial grand tour of the Barnes Foundation masterworks, which I managed to see in D.C. and in Toronto.  I cannot recall if this was one of the ones in the traveling Barnes exhibit show from the mid 90s, so I am trying to track down an exhibit list.  And speaking of controversies, it is still fairly astonishing to me that they did manage to relocate the Barnes into downtown Philadelphia.  Personally, I am in favour of the move, though I understand why it rubs some people the wrong way.  I'll certainly make a trip to see it the next time I am passing through.

Edit: Now that I have seen the catalog of that exhibition, it is clear that this Cézanne still life (and a couple of other really nice ones in the Barnes Collection) were pried away from Pennsylvania and sent around the world, so I have seen it before, not that I wouldn't welcome the chance to see them again.  Indeed, odds are pretty good that I've actually seen all these paintings in person, though hardly all at the same time.