Geraniums 1888 - 1890

This is Paul Cézanne’s watercolor, "Geraniums". The interplay of light and shadow, rendered through fluid brushstrokes, immediately captures the eye. The geraniums, with their circular leaves, are not just depicted but constructed through patches of green. Cézanne was interested in the underlying structure of what he saw. Here, he uses watercolor to explore form and spatial relationships. The loose washes define shape and volume, as he builds form through color. The negative space around the leaves and the pots is as important as the subject itself, creating a dynamic tension that animates the scene. Notice how the composition extends beyond a simple representation of potted plants. Cézanne's approach disrupts traditional notions of perspective and fixed viewpoints. The act of seeing and representing becomes a process of deconstruction, of analyzing and rebuilding visual reality through color and form. This challenges us to question what we see and how we perceive it.