River Bend (Coin de rivière)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

River Bend is the earliest painting by Cézanne in the Barnes collection. Dating from about 1865, this landscape demonstrates the young painter's command of the artform. The canvas is one of a group of about ten modestly sized landscapes that are filled with dynamic brushwork and color contrasts. Individual elements such as the sky, trees, rocks, and water are simplified and commingle in a tumult of thickly applied paint—even the small figure with the red cap appears to be subsumed into the foliage. As a result, River Bend is less a record of a specific place and more a study in color, texture, and rhythm.

Source ↗