Spirit of Change A) in Still Life

Spirit of Change

a) In Still Life with Plaster Cast, the viewer sees a painting-within-a-painting. Identify and describe another work in your text that uses a similar approach.

Cezanne's Post-Impressionist 'take' on the constructed nature of art is not the only treatment of 'the artist and his art' as a subject of painting. The painter Courbet's more realistic portrayal of a 'painting within a painting' called The Artist's Studio shows an artist painting in a large room, surrounded by the metaphorical representations of 'influences' upon his work, over the course of the seven years it took the artist to construct the painting. A nude, beautiful woman looks over the painter's shoulder and a child and a small dog gaze up at the painting in rapt attention. Courbet's meaning is less ambiguous than Cezanne's more humorous and deflated view of the nature of art. Cezanne's less beautiful, broken Cupid and ugly fruit in bright, unnatural colors stand in stark contrast to the carefully-detailed Courbet work. Still, Courbet also shows that art is 'created' and crafted (in his view, in the imagination), rather than divinely inspired.

b) Explain why you think an artist might choose to re-paint a painting into his or her work. In what ways is it the same painting? In what ways does it become different?

Cezanne's work could be described as postmodern in its attitude. It explores the production of art. The rendition of the plaster cupid is very evidently an 'art form,' given that it is an idealized human being -- with his arms snapped off. This shows that even art that portrays a Greek god can be deflated and rendered humble and mortal. It shows the limits of art and explores the potential of the human imagination. By including an image of a painting within the artwork, Cezanne highlights the constructed nature of every work of art. The painting is not 'about' the plaster cast or the fruit, rather it is a commentary on the nature of art production. "The tone of the painting contrasts between the mythical Cupid stood in the center of the painting and the mystery choice of foods that Paul Cezanne has chosen to paint. Apples have often been used in compositions alongside mystical figures. However what appear to be onions are an unusual choice. Thus the tone of the painting alternates between the mystical and the ordinary" (Still Life with Plaster Cast, 2012, Artble).

c) Cezanne returned again and again to paint his mountain. Explain why you think an artist might choose to repaint a subject. In what ways is it the same painting? In what ways does it become different?

Impressionists such as Monet famously returned to the same subject matter again and again, to explore how alternative types of lighting could make the same subject matter look entirely different. Cezanne, a Post-Impressionist, likewise returned to similar subject matter to show the effects of lighting -- and to show how his different emotions changed his perception of the mountain. "The Sainte-Victoire mountain near Cezanne's home in Aix-en-Provence was one of his favorite subjects and he is known to have painted it over 60 times. Cezanne was fascinated by the rugged architectural forms in the mountains of Provence and painted the same scene from many different angles. He would use bold blocks of color to achieve a new spatial effect known as "flat-depth' to accommodate the unusual geological forms of the mountain" (Cezanne, Paul: The Mont Sainte-Victoire and Bibemus saga, 2012, Web Museum). Because Cezanne spent so much time gazing upon the mountain in different moods and at different times of his life, he was able to showcase it in a variety of manners and could show complex textures of both perception and mood. It was ever-changing, yet it was also an anchor of his perceptions and the ebb and flow of his life.