October 27, 2005 - January 16, 2006
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-857-6010
www.lacma.org

Pioneering Modern Painting:  Cèzanne & Pissarro 1865 - 1885

Frustrated by the power of the official academic painters posturing as the true heirs to the past, both Cèzanne and Pissarro recognized that tradition did not imply a mere servile imitation of established models, but instead, a complete rejuvenation of both the syntax and vocabulary of paintings.  In 1860s, they adopted Courtbet's thick manner, applying pigment with thick brush and palette knife onto canvases whose subjects, humble still life or earthy landscapes, matched the aggressive roughness of their technique.

Thus began a friendship that led the two men to paint, for instance, one another's portrait --- a traditional homage painters of kindred spirit pay to one another.  Cèzanne always looked up to the older Pissarro as a model.  The moods of both artists differed greatly, even while painting the same subject, although their styles almost never match.  And yet, one cannot but be awed by the relentless references, quotes, and allusions made by the two painters.

For it is not only Cèzanne who looked to Pissarro, but it is also Pissarro who consider Cèzanne radical boldness, as he would admire and absord Seurat's revolutionary technique.  The exhibition of over sixty works illustrates the assiduous, moving, and complex relationship between the two artists.