Paul Cezanne: Emotional Expression through Artistic creation

Art is widely understood to be a personal interpretation of a subjective reality. In visual art, an individual’s perception is manifested in his or her own unique use of color, form and/or perspective. Paul Cezanne was notable for his use of the elements of color as building blocks in his art and for recognizing the importance of hue, saturation and intensity in the direct expression of his experience. Psychologically, color is often associated with the expression of an emotion, and, therefore, can provide a glimpse into the unguarded psyche of the artist. In the case of Cezanne, he worked while suffering from an anxiety that was so intense that it affected his functioning throughout the course of his life. This is visible in the particular recipe of saturation, brightness and intensity of color as well as in the relationship of color to form that appears in his work.

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS:

Bekker, K. (2021) Paul Cezanne: Emotional Expression through Artistic Creation has been published in volume 3 of Creativity and Madness: Psychological Studies of Art and Artists. edited by Barry Panter, MD, AIMED PRESS, 285-308

Bekker, K. (2016) Paul Cezanne: Emotional Expression through Artistic Creation. Presentation conducted at the Creativity and Madness Conference, Santa Fe, New Mexico.