The Brook, Paul Cézanne
This painting depicts the valley of the Arc River that runs southeast of Cézanne's home in Aix-en-Provence. Organized patterns of color and brushwork indicate that Cézanne was interested in structuring his visual sensations through directional brushstrokes and patterns of warm and cool colors. He also created a more unified composition by maintaining color intensity throughout, rather than allowing tones to diminish as they fade into the distance.
Cezanne rarely did preparatory sketches for his paintings. The shapes on the canvas are provided by tonal contrasts and color sensation.
