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Emile Zola to Cézanne, 30 December 1859
"When you take up your brushes: 'my son, my son,' says your father,
'think of the future. One dies with genius, and one eats with money.' Ah!
Unfortunately, my poor Cézanne, life is a billiard ball which does not
always roll where the hand would like to push it..."
Emile Zola to Cézanne, 16 April, 1860
"there are two men inside the artist, the poet and the craftsman. One
is born a poet. One becomes a craftsman..."
Cézanne to Emile Zola, 19 October 1866
"But you know all pictures painted inside, in the studio, will never
be as good as those done outside. When out-of-door scenes are represented,
the contrasts between the figures and the ground is astounding and the
landscape is magnificent. I see some superb things and I shall have to
make up my mind only to do things out-of-doors."
Cézanne to Joachim Gasquet, 30 April 1896
"All my life I have worked to be able to earn my living, but I
thought that one could do good painting without attracting attention to
one's private life. Certainly, an artist wishes to raise himself
intellectually as much as possible, but the man must remain obscure. The
pleasure must be found in the work."
Cézanne to Charles Camoin, 28 January 1902
"...one says more and perhaps better things about painting when
facing the motif than when discussing purely speculative theories -- in
which as often as not one loses oneself."
Cézanne to Louis Aurenche, 10 March 1902 [ed. trying to lighten his
spirits)
"A little bit of confidence in yourself and work. Don't ever forget
your art, sic itur ad astra [trans: 'thus one reaches the stars']"
Cézanne to Charles Camoin, 22 February 1903
"Everything, especially in art, is theory developed and applied in
contact with nature."
Cézanne to Charles Camoin, 13 September 1903
"Couture used to say to his pupils: 'keep good company, that is: go
to the Louvre. But after having seen the great masters who repose there,
we must hasten out and by contact with nature revive within ourselves the
instincts, the artistic sensations which live in us.' ... What shall I
wish you: good studies made after nature, that is the best
thing."&
Cézanne to Emile Bernard, 15 April 1904
"May I repeat what I told you here: treat nature by means of the
cylinder, the sphere, the cone, everything brought into proper perspective
so that each side of an object or a plane is directed towards a central
point. Lines parallel to the horizon give breadth... lines perpendicular
to this horizon give depth. But nature for us men is more depth than
surface, whence the need to introduce into our light vibrations,
represented by the reds and yellows, a sufficient amount of blueness to
give the feel of air."
Cézanne to Emile Bernard, 12 May 1904
"The artist must scorn all judgment that is not based on an
intelligent observation of character. He must beware of the literary
spirit which so often causes the painter to deviate from his true path --
the concrete study of nature -- to lose himself too long in intangible
speculation. The Louvre is a good book to consult but it must be only an
intermediary. The real and immense study to be undertaken is the manifold
picture of nature."
Cézanne to Emile Bernard, 26 May 1904
"But I must always come back to this: painters must devote themselves
entirely to the study of nature and try to produce pictures which will be
an education. Talking about art is almost useless. The work which brings
about some progress in one's own craft is sufficient compensation for not
being understood by imbeciles."
Cézanne to Emile Bernard, 25 July 1904
"Don't be an art critic, but paint, there lies salvation."
Cézanne to Emile Bernard, 1905
"The Louvre is the book in which we learn to read. We must not,
however, be satisfied with retaining the beautiful formulas of our
illustrious predecessors. Let us go forth to study beautiful nature, let
us try to free our minds from them, let us strive to express ourselves
according to our personal temperment. Time and reflection, moreover,
modify little by little our vision, and at last comprehension comes to
us."
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