Cezanne and Beyond

Accompanying the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Spring 2009 exhibition, this book of prints and essays examines the influence of Cezanne, once called ""the linchpin in the history of modernism,"" on 19 modern and post-modern artists. Essayists take many different approaches. Describing Cezanne as ""not only the primary form maker of his era but also its primary form breaker,"" Robert Storr discusses the debt owed by Pop artists like Richard Hamilton. John Elderfield makes a compelling case for Cezanne's influence on the divergent work of Picasso, who said that ""it's not what the artist does that counts, but what he is... Cezanne's anxiety-that's Cezanne's lesson."" Other artists discussed include Gorky, Jasper Johns and Matisse (who called Cezanne ""a sort of god of painting""). The book itself is beautiful, containing color reproductions of work by Cezanne and the 19 artists considered, plus a few more. An informative introduction traces Cezanne's influence across Europe, during his life and after, referring often to the 1895 exhibition which would have been viewed by many of the artists mentioned. This close examination, buttressed by gorgeous plates, makes this a standout volume on the popular artist.