Château Noir 1903 - 1904

Cézanne made this painting of the Château Noir using oil on canvas. It's a classic combination of materials, but Cézanne's handling of them is what gives the work its unique power. Look closely and you'll see how he builds up the image with small, deliberate strokes of paint. Each one is like a brick in a wall, carefully placed to create a sense of depth and solidity. The colors are rich and earthy, with greens and blues that seem to vibrate against the warm tones of the Château. You might think that oil painting, with its long history, is just a 'fine art' pursuit. But here, Cézanne is also engaging in a kind of labor. The painting is a result of repeated action, of his physical engagement with the material, capturing the world around him. The intensive work imbues the painting with a sense of lived experience. Seeing how artists like Cézanne approached their craft encourages us to consider a wider scope of artistic practices and aesthetics.