New Year message

The year has just started. Through my workshop window, I can see the bear trees. I remember so well when I was young: I would spend a lot of time drawing the trees outside, even when the weather was tough.

Since Cézanne’s death (1839-1906), a century has gone by. Has our sense of observation really evolved? During the 20ieth century, many artistic movements ending in “ism” came one after the other. At the same time, Art History evolved from the “ability to do things” to the “will power to achieve things”. It was a time when there were as many expressions as there were artists. I think it is interesting to enlarge pictorial expressions by broadening originality and eccentricity rather than by high level technique and perfection.

At the beginning of the 21st century, again I wonder: after Cézanne, the founding father of modern art, have artists been able to increase their sense of observation?

I gaze at nature bearing that in mind. I realize then that in light itself color movements exist and develop freely from objects. Taking this observation into account, I possibly could develop a post Cézanne pictorial vision.[…] Diary n°1848