Factories near Mont de Cengle
- Original dimensions
- 55 x 41 cm
- Museum
- Emil G. Bührle Foundation and Collection
- Year
- 1868
Scene depicted
This canvas vividly depicts the industrial landscape around Aix-en-Provence, where Mont de Cengle rises majestically. The harmonious composition and geometric shapes of these factories testify to the era of the Industrial Revolution while celebrating the natural beauty of the surroundings. Each brushstroke reveals the energy of life flowing, between the noise of machines and the gentle whisper of the wind.
Historical context
Created in 1868, in the heart of Provence, the painting "Usines près du Mont de Cengle" belongs to the post-impressionist movement, an artistic school based on personal expression and perception of reality. This canvas reflects the time when Cézanne explored the transition between realism and impressionism . Today, his masterpiece is preserved at the Emil G. Bührle Foundation and Collection , a bastion of art in Zurich, Switzerland.
Place in the artist's career
"Usines près du Mont de Cengle" stands as a defining milestone in Cézanne's career, a period when he juggled between classical tradition and modern innovations. Alongside "Les Grandes Baigneuses" and "La Montagne Sainte-Victoire," this painting illustrates his artistic evolution, marking a maturation of forms and colors in his pictorial approach.
Anecdote
“I wanted to capture the truth of forms and colors,” Cézanne reportedly said when discussing the genesis of this canvas . On a gentle Provençal morning, he stood there, facing the factories with their slender structures, breathing in the warm air filled with blooming lemon trees. This inspiring moment marked the birth of a vibrant painting , where nature and industrialization meet.