Roger Fry, the artist and critic responsible for bringing modern art to Britain before the First World War, thought Cézanne was “the great originator of the whole idea.” By this he meant the expression of the abstract qualities of painting at the expense of narrative and illusion. In fact, Cézanne, who was fascinated both by the old masters, and working directly from nature, said he hoped to create a new link in the history of art.
While Cezanne’s love of Poussin is well known, he also studied a wide range of old masters, from El Greco to Delacroix, who influenced him particularly through his use of colour.
This lecture series will aim to explore these and other aspects of Cézanne’s work, in the light of the new exhibition to be held at Tate Modern in the autumn, and the view of Cézanne it presents.