Paul Cezanne – Letters to Emile Bernard
Aix in Provence, 15 April 1904 r.
Dear Mr. Bernard,
when will you receive this letter, you will most likely have another one, sent from Belgium and addressed to Boulegon Street. I am very pleased with your affectionate kindness for my art, which is expressed in your letter.
Let me repeat it, which I have already told you here: nature must be presented in a cylinder, there is, cone; the whole put into perspective, so that each side of the subject or plan is directed to the focal point. The lines parallel to the horizon define the extent or stretch of nature or, if the Lord so wishes, shows, Which one Father God, the Almighty Eternal unfolds before our eyes. Lines perpendicular to the horizon define the depth. Well, for us humans, nature is deeper rather than on the surface, hence the need to introduce an appropriate amount of blue into our light vibrations represented by reds and yellows, so that you can feel the air.
I would like to tell you, that I was watching your study again taken in the atelier on the ground floor. It's good, I guess, that you should continue along this path, you are aware of this, what to do, and soon you will be able to turn your back on the Gauguins and the Van Goghs.
Would you like to thank Mrs. Bernard for remembering the undersigned, kisses for the children from Father Goriot and my best regards to your whole family.
Aix, 12 house 1904 r.
Dear Bernard,
let my continuous, persistent work and old age for explaining the delay in response.
Besides, in your last letter you deal with such a variety of issues, and at the same time all related to art, that I cannot fully follow your thoughts.
I already told you, that Redon's talent suits me very well, I agree with him in feeling and admire Delacroix. I do not know, will my poor health ever allow me to paint his apotheosis, which I have been dreaming about for a long time.
I work very slowly, for nature presents itself to me in all its complexity, and one must keep moving forward. You have to see your model well and feel it very accurately; it is finally necessary to express oneself clearly and with power.
The taste is the ultimate judge. It rarely happens. Art only appeals to an extremely limited number of people.
The artist should despise the court, which is not based on the rational observation of phenomena. He should be concerned about the literary mood, that so often does, that the painter deviates from his true path - the concrete study of nature, to get lost for too long in vague speculations.
The Louvre is a good book, you have to look into it; however, it should only be a help. The real and wonderful subject of study is the diversity of the image of nature. […]
Aix, 26 house 1904 r.
Dear Bernard,
I generally share thoughts, which you intend to develop in an article prepared for Occident”. But I always come back to this, that the painter should devote himself entirely to studying nature and try to create pictures, which will be the indications. Talking about art is almost useless. Work, which allows you to make progress in your own profession, reward enough for that, that one is not understood by fools.
The writer expresses himself with the help of abstraction, while the painter concretizes his sensations and perceptions with the help of drawing and color. You can't be too scrupulous or too honest, nor too docile to nature. But you are more or less the master of your model, and especially their means of expression. One should study it, what is in front of you and stubbornly strive to express yourself as logically as possible.
Please accept my regards to Mrs. Bernard and my best regards to the children; the cordial handshake of the Lord's hand
Painter P. Cezanne
Aix, 25 July 1904 r.
Dear Bernard,
I received the 'Revue Occidentale”. All that's left for me to do is thank you for that, what did you write about me.
I regret, that we cannot be close to each other, because I don't want to be right in theory, but against nature. Ingres, despite its style and its admirers, he is a very little painter. You know the greatest ones better than I do: they are Venetians and Spaniards.
Only in contact with nature does progress and the eye develop. It concentrates as you look and work. I want to tell, that for an orange, apple, there is a climax in the ball or the head, and it is always there - despite the very strong effects of light and shadow, color sensations - the point of the object closest to our eye.
The edges of the objects run towards the center lying on the line of our horizon.
With a little temper, you can be a good painter. You can do good things, without being too much of an expert in harmony, nor a colorist. It is enough to have a sense of art, and this sense is undoubtedly the fear of the bourgeoisie.
Therefore, institutes, salaries, honors are only made for morons, pranksters and scoundrels. Don't be an art critic; opposites. There is salvation in that.
Hearty handshake from an old comrade
P.Cezanne
Compliments to Mrs. Bernard, greetings for children.