Reconstructing Cézanne

A groundbreaking approach to the study of Cézanne's works on paper

This book brings to light new research into the work of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), based on close examination of the DNA makeup that constitutes the papers he used for his watercolors and drawings. The book features in-depth analyses of the works in the show by Fabienne Ruppen, as well as extensive commentary on Cézanne scholarship by Walter Feilchenfeldt, co-author of the artist's new catalogue raisonné.

At the heart of the book are two watercolors that Cézanne produced from a large sheet of paper, which he divided in two sections for the purpose of capturing different landscapes, La Montagne Sainte-Victoire, from 1885-87, and a Paysage Provençal. Reunited for the first time, these two parts of the same sheet exemplify Ruppen's research methods and the way these enable us to reconsider the dating of Cézanne's work based on forensic evidence.