New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-04

difficult 70 track down anything like de-
sign in the work Of Cezanne. He had,
of course, 20 begin and end somewhere.
20 choose motive, and sometimes
though rarely his aim would seem 20
extend beyond that of the photog-
rapher. lie Bouquet de Fleurs' IS al
most if not quite picture it sayors,
az all events, Of the arrangement
and there is the ghost of a pictorial
purpose IN the Rocks az Fontaine-
tleau" The latter is really interest
ing impression of nature. The rocks,
the trees. the purpllsh grays envelOping
them, the light making itself felt
everywhere all this trembles on the
verge Of that plane which denotes the
genuine artist. And then CeZanne
draws back. stays his hand. leaves Us
to be content with promise rather than
fulhlment Is his action voluntary
If We are 20 believe the zealots he knew
what he was about. and in that view Of
the matter we might regard the Rocks
at F0ntainebleau" as the expression OF
a definite conception of landscape art.
somewhat reconcile, perhaps. but with
posslb bly, demOnstrable truths In 10. But
we are less concerned with what the
ZealOt says than, we repeat, with what
CeZanne paints. Taken at its face
value, so 20 say, the landscape in ques-
ton has nothing beyond its few re-
allstlc merits 20 disclose. So 10 is with
the even more characteristic Land
rcape Ia Southern France" the map
like view across fat valley toward
distant nils, with an aqueduct cutting
the middle Of the scene. Here. again,
there are faint signs of a talent fun
bling It's way toward achievement. a
certain quality in the quiet green and
earthly tones, certain simplifcation Of
masses. and. b. the same token, Of both
form and color. But Cezanne stops at
halfway house; he makes in this in
stance mildly interesting study. not a
strong painting. BY and by. in pict-
ures Ike lie Chateau Noir,' he throws
all scholastic safeguards overheard and
subs des into crude formlessness.
What does 10 all mean-the obvious
expenditure OF 50 much effort and the
attainment Of so little? For beyond
a measure of vraisemblance in respect
70 form, beyond a more or less fire.
quent CLEAN Of color, beyond the
simple actually which belongs to his
portraiture. Cezanne is but scantily
rewarded for his industry and devo-
JOn. Inc biography rs there 90 tell
US what a sincere and resolute worker
he WIS. The pictures are here 20
testify 20 naught else. unwilling other
wise only type of futiity. Solution
Of the problem must in part be a mat
ter Of surmlse. IL may be conjectured
that Cezanne was one Of those men -
not 40 all uncommon in the history of
painting lthe world is full OF them.
always who interested in art,
ike 20 paint. have moments of en-
thusiasm. which they mistake for mo-
ments of Inspiration, and are at bot
tom mediocre. Cezanne, IN particular,
had the rudiments Of gift, a little
fund of energy, Of original cerebral
force. which gives the dimmest sug-
gcstion of an edge 10 his essentially
prosaic art. You sense II. vaguely. in
his light and in his color But with
out the proper assimilation Of what
the masters IN the picture galleries
and the studios might have taught him.
the rcctitude OF technique, the glory
Of design, the impalpable virtues Of
style and beauty. he could not for the
life Of him break the bourgeois she'll
~ which his art was encased. He was
az odds with his craft, and II revenged
itself by denying him the qualities Of