Since Cézanne

In Short

This collection of essays serves as a rigorous, passionate map of the early twentieth-century art world. By examining the legacy of Paul Cézanne, the book explores how subsequent movements—from Cubism to Fauvism—attempted to reconcile personal emotional experience with the structural demands of art. Rather than offering a dry history, the work functions as a critical manifesto. It argues that true art requires both high intellectual rigor and profound, felt emotion, ultimately rejecting the superficial "jazz" trends of the era in favor of disciplined, serious creation.

The Story

The narrative begins with the seismic shift triggered by Cézanne. To the young painters of the early 1900s, Cézanne acted as a liberator, stripping away the stiff, academic conventions that hindered genuine expression. By reducing natural forms to spheres, cylinders, and cones, he provided a new vocabulary for the next generation. The author categorizes these followers into two camps: the "Doctrinaires," who codified these experiments into systematic theories like Cubism, and the "Fauves," who used distortion instinctively as the immediate need for expression dictated.

From this starting point, the focus shifts to individual masters. Renoir’s late period is analyzed as a triumph of "iridescent loveliness," where the artist, despite his physical infirmities, melted forms into a subtle harmony. Henri Rousseau, the "douanier," provides a contrast, representing a delightful absence of culture and an unself-conscious, lower-middle-class authenticity. Meanwhile, Picasso emerges as the quintessential intellectual artist. The author depicts Picasso not as a mere follower of his own impulses, but as a restless engine of invention who, after exhausting one discovery, immediately moves to the next, leaving a "pack of hungry followers" to gnaw at the scraps of his abandoned ideas.

The argument then broadens to consider the nature of artistic creation itself. The author posits that the "artistic problem" is the struggle to match a fleeting emotional experience with a conceived, durable form. This process acts as both a canal and a goad, forcing the artist to maintain "white heat" through the cold, long days of construction. Figures like Bach, Giotto, and El Greco are cited as masters who successfully forced their turbulent spirits into rigorous molds, such as fugues or stylized legends.

As the book nears its conclusion, the tone becomes more combative. The author surveys the cultural landscape of the post-war period, finding it suffering from a collapse of taste and a tendency toward the flippant, which he labels "Jazz." This modern trend, characterized by a craving for "small profits and quick returns," prioritizes novelty and surprise over the noble pursuit of significant form. The author warns that this desire for easy, immediate engagement is the antithesis of art. He advocates for a return to professional seriousness, where the artist acknowledges that true creative power requires "feeling and intellect and—most distressing of all—study." The journey ends with a call to abandon the ephemeral and the trivial. The author predicts a generational turn toward the values exemplified by André Derain: a belief that the highest human faculties are the minimum requirement for producing even the smallest work of art.

How It Unfolds

The Cézanne legacy The opening sets the stage by identifying Cézanne as the pivot point for modern art, moving painting away from stale conventions toward a focus on form. It establishes the distinction between those who built new theories on his practice and those who followed their own immediate sensibilities.

The anatomy of the artist The middle sections move through case studies of figures like Renoir, Bonnard, and Picasso, illustrating how different temperaments handle the pressure of creation. Each chapter dissects a specific approach, from Bonnard’s subtle, painterly color-pools to the intellectual rigor of Picasso.

The definition of quality The argument shifts to the role of the critic and the standards of judgment. It asserts that analytical criticism is secondary to the critic’s ability to "jump for joy" in the presence of a work that genuinely moves them.

The critique of modernity The final beats address the "Jazz" era, critiquing contemporary culture for its rejection of intellect and dignity. The book concludes by defining the path forward: a return to serious, disciplined, and intellectually demanding art.

The People

• Paul Cézanne stands as the foundational figure. He is described as a man of "great character"—limited, absurd, yet possessing a genius that communicated through sensations rather than intellectual pellets.
• Pablo Picasso appears as the restless, inventive center of the modern movement. He is characterized as an "intellectual artist" who feels first, then steps back to think, constantly evolving beyond his own earlier styles.
• Albert Marquet is held up as a model of individual liberty. He avoids the traps of becoming an educator of fools or a builder of systems, choosing instead to remain solely a painter, guarding his freedom above all else.
• Othon Friesz is presented as a "painters' painter." He possesses a logical mind and a distinct, personal talent, proving that one can have theories about art without turning them into restrictive theories of life.

In Its Own Voice

"To the young painters of 1904, or thereabouts, Cézanne came as the liberator: he it was who had freed painting from a mass of conventions which, useful once, had grown old and stiff and were now no more than so many impediments to expression."

This observation explains why the entire modern movement in art traces its origins back to a single, essential shift in perspective.

"The creative impulse is one thing; creation another."

This distinction frames the author's central argument regarding the "artistic problem"—the long, difficult labor of turning a fleeting emotion into a permanent, significant form.

"What Jazz wants are romps and fun, and to make fun; that is why, as I have said, its original name Ragtime was the better."

The author uses this analysis to characterize the post-war trend toward superficiality, which he contrasts against the "high seriousness" required for true art.

What It's Really About

The central theme is the nature of "significant form." The book argues that art is not a reflection of civilization, politics, or social status, but a unique, autonomous domain defined by its own internal logic. The author posits that the value of a work of art is found in the artist's ability to fuse emotional apprehension with formal structure. Underlying the critiques of specific painters is a deeper question: how can the artist maintain profound, intense emotion while submitting to the rigorous, often cold, technical demands of their medium? It is a defense of the "serious" artist against the encroaching tide of amateurism, sentimentality, and the pursuit of trivial, crowd-pleasing effects.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate art history written with the sharp, opinionated clarity of a contemporary observer will find much to admire here. The book captures the visceral excitement of the early twentieth-century avant-garde while maintaining a grounded, often biting, critical perspective. It is not a neutral textbook; it is a lively, argumentative, and deeply personal account of what happens when tradition meets radical change.

The primary difficulty for a modern reader lies in the author's assumption of a shared cultural canon—he refers to figures and debates that were common currency in 1920 but may feel obscure today. Additionally, his tone, while warm and precise, is unapologetically elitist. He holds no truck with the "general public's" taste, which he views as having "colds in their heads." However, those who enjoy robust, well-constructed arguments will find the book rewarding. It remains a powerful reminder that "serious" art is never a product of convenience or trend-chasing, but a result of intense, exhausting intellectual and emotional labor. If you enjoy prose that is both elegant and unafraid to draw lines in the sand, this is an essential read that clarifies why we still hold some works of art in higher regard than others.