Auvers, Panoramic View

Paul Cezanne made this work during his first prolonged stay at Auvers, where he was mentored by Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. Cezanne rendered the unusual perspective—looking down onto the rooftops of Auvers and out to the distant countryside—using blocky, energetic patches of color and areas of ragged brushwork that seem unfinished, especially at the lower left and center. These choices, which were radical at the time, mark his attempt to communicate not merely the landscape’s appearance but also the feeling of seeing it and painting it.