Since Cézanne

In this compact yet richly textured collection, the author maps the seismic shift in early‑twentieth‑century painting that followed Paul Cézanne’s radical re‑thinking of form and perception. Through a series of lively essays, he shows how the painter’s challenge to conventional representation sparked a fevered debate among artists and critics about the very definition of art. The opening sections trace how theory—once a dominant force in Parisian circles—interwove with individual temperaments, setting the stage for a generation to ask, “What am I doing, and why?”

From the lyrical brushwork of Renoir to the daring abstractions of Matisse and Picasso, each chapter offers concise portraits that balance scholarly insight with vivid anecdote. Readers are invited to listen to the author’s thoughtful probes into topics ranging from the politics of artistic authority to the unexpected resonance of naïve painters like Rousseau. The result is a panoramic yet intimate guide that illuminates how a single artist’s legacy can reshape an entire era, making the conversation as relevant today as it was when the essays first appeared.