The letters of Paul Cézanne /

Cezanne, reviled and praised as the founder of modern art, was an influence on thinkers like Heidegger and Beckett, and artists ranging from the Impressionists to Picasso. He had excellent classical schooling and was known for his mordant wit. His Letters elucidate his frustrations, thinking, friendships (especially with Zola), and ambitions. Danchev, the author of the excellent biography Cezanne: A Life (CH, May'13, 50-4823), has rendered into contemporary English all the previously translated letters, plus an additional 20 previously unpublished, and the sketches contained in them. In doing so he offers revised opinions about material contained in John Rewald's The Paintings of Paul Cezanne: A Catalogue Raisonne (1996). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. E. E. Hirshler emeritus, Denison University

Cezanne (1839-1906) was a studied classicist with a wonderful wit and sense of irony, as the letters in this collection show. Organized in chapters by decade from the 1850s to the 1900s, the letters show him to be a man of great intellect, not the backward, bumbling provincial that art history has presented. Danchev (international relations, Univ. of Nottingham; Georges Braque: A Life) has painstakingly amassed a body of thought that comprises a reevaluation of the man who was the father of modern art and certainly a beacon of painterly light to those around him and with whom he corresponded. These included his childhood friend Emile Zola, who never understood the importance of Cezanne's paintings; Ambroise Vollard, his art dealer; and Camille Pissarro, whom he greatly admired. There are even two letters written by his wife, Hortense, who displayed many concerns about and dedication to her husband, contrary to popular assumptions. VERDICT It seems that art historians have gotten Cezanne all wrong. This book, a corrective glimpse into the painter's world, should be sought after by 20th-century art historians and students of French painting. Recommended as a wise purchase for all Western art history book collections.-Ellen Bates, New York (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.