Cezanne and Beyond.

Friday night I had the delight of attending the opening for the Cezanne and Beyond exhibit, currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  As an accolade to the artist,  Cezanne's works stood next to artists he has influenced since his time of existence.  It was a pleasure to be able to identify the reference to Cezanne so directly, seeing as the similarities could be drawn by the common viewer.  Among the Cezanne influenced artists were Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, and Henri Matisse.  Undoubtedly Cezanne was a monumental father of postimpressionistic and modern artwork, however, it was until now unclear to me that he made such an impact on others style.  Artists find themselves using Cezanne's odd sense of space to help their expression; artists use Cezanne as a starting point for he has shaped art so drastically.  My favorite aspect was the positioning of a Matisse, Picasso, and Cezanne piece to the left, to the right, and directly in front of you, respectively.  The center piece is of Cezanne's wife, pictured in a red chair, arms casually folded.  Seeing as it was eminent to Cezanne that his subjects sit for hours so that he could capture the right attitude through his style, we recognize the expression on his wife as familiar, recognizing it from other of his works.  Matisse and Picasso's paintings both depict a woman in a red chair, but providing us with an expression evident to their art style.  The highly axiomatic connection with Cezanne's wife is an astonishing contrast the Matisse's and Picasso's personal styles; it is interesting to see the similarities and differences after an apparent inspiration.  I found that the most satisfying thing about the exhibit was that all of the works displayed were not oil paintings, which was Cezanne's primary medium.  A lot of artists reaction to Cezanne has jumped mediums, falling into drawings, sculpture, and mixed media works, allowing the modern movement to explode further into progression.

After the exhibit I had the joy of meeting photographer, art historian, and professor Susan Arthur Whitson, who teaches at the University of the Arts and the School for the Visual Arts.  Whitson's photography is mesmerizing, with each image displaying a glow-like quality.  This may have to do with her preference of altering the camera effects during shooting and not during development.  She often projects her charismatic personality and wild imagination into her photographs, allowing the viewer to easily identify with the dream-like quality she presents.  To read more about the artist, and view her complete portfolio, follow this link.