A dialogue between Cézanne and Renoir
From Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay
March 19th – June 30th 2024
Milan, Palazzo Reale
The Royal Palace celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Impressionist movement comparing personalities and works of art of Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Fifty-two masterpieces offer a thorough insight into the work of the two artists, from the first canvases dating back to about 1873 to the most mature works and experiments of the early twentieth century.
The art exhibition is curated by Cécile Girardeau (Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris) and the art historian Stefano Zuffi.
Auguste Renoir, Jeunes filles au piano, 1892 circa, oil on canvas
Paul Cézanne, Portrait de Madame Cézanne, between 1885-1895 circa, oil on canvas
Cézanne focused his attention on rigorous and geometric compositions and on the strength of the brushstroke, while Renoir focused on harmony, on delicate atmospheres, and on shaping the forms through the colour.
The exhibition itinerary shows the development of their carriers which was based on a mutual admiration and friendship and on their interest on certain genre such as still lifes, landscapes, nudes.
The dialogue between Cézanne and Renoir started at the atelier of Charles Gleyre and went on outside also as the latter was hosted several times at the place of Cézanne at Aix-en-Provence.
Despite their shared beginnings, their artistic paths diverged, leading to contrasting aesthetic expressions. Renoir’s art emanates warmth and emotive expressiveness, a stark departure from Cézanne’s analytical precision and structured approach.
These two titans of the art world embody contrasting sensibilities: one linked to an endless continuation of the great Mediterranean Western tradition, which finds its master in Titian, and of which Renoir is certainly the endpoint; the other, a rupture, as it is from Cézanne’s modernity that avant-gardes like Cubism emerge.
Renoir and Cézanne are contemporaries, they are friends, they are close and distant, they are the ancient and the present, they are the continuation of a tradition and the invention of a new tradition.
Auguste Renoir, Bouquet de tulipes, 1905 circa, oil on canvas
Paul Cézanne, Le Vase bleu, between 1889-1890 oil on canvas
Within the exhibit’s narrative, Renoir’s “Bouquet de tulipes” and Cézanne’s “Le Vase bleu” serve as poignant examples of their distinct styles and artistic evolution, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the captivating dialogue between these pioneering artists, bridging the past with the present and inspiring artistic evolution.
The exhibition offers their best achievements whether they are landscapes or still lifes. Moreover, it highlights their significant impact on future generations of artists by juxtaposing two of their most celebrated works with two paintings by Pablo Picasso.
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