When: closing July 1, 2018
In the first Cezanne show to focus on his portraiture, one cannot help but wonder how much money he spent on paint, as he applies it with such a liberal hand. In his early career especially (which is the subject of the show's first room), one has a sense of the painter building his pieces by slathering on coat after coat.
These are by no means flattering depictions, either. Either his subjects were singularly devoid of vanity, or they were less than happy with the end result. Sour expressions are the order of the day.
As Cezanne progressed in his career, the brutal techniques soften a bit, but these are still not delicate pieces. The wall notes indicate that he had "intense perceptions of the world." The paintings seem to support that view, assuming that he was painting what he saw.
Verdict: If you like Cezanne, you should absolutely check this out. Otherwise, I didn't dislike the show, but it didn't "wow" me either.
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