Hemingway and Cezanne - Sharing a Vision - Research Paper Example

 Sometimes it seems that art is a living organism that cannot be disjointed into branches. It is so because almost all the thoughts, ideas, theories etc. which once have appeared in one art form necessarily migrate to another. The same also works for the representatives of these art forms, and very often it is possible to find a unique connection between people who work in different spheres. One of such great pairs is an American writer Ernest Hemingway and French artist Paul Cezanne. Despite the fact that they worked in different spheres, there is a great resemblance between their styles. In particular, the unique connection between Ernest Hemingway and Paul Cezanne is manifested through their inclination to the simplicity of presentation and complexity of inner meaning. Even a person who opens any book written by Hemingway for the first time feels that it will be a completely new and unique experience. Having read at least one page of any of his masterpieces, one understands what the matter is. In the heart of the writer's uniqueness and unusualness, which may seem to be even strangeness for some people, is his writing style. Hemingway's technique is really simple, and it is this simplicity that stands out in all his works (Wainwright, 2013). This technique was developed by the author during his career as a journalist. In accordance with Wainwright (2013), simplicity and clarity of his writing style is manifested through plain grammar, austere word choice, accessible and understandable language, and unembellished description. Perhaps, a perfect word that describes Hemingway's writing style is “clean” for in his pieces, he uses simple and rhythmic sentences focused mostly on representation of bold actions rather than vast descriptions. The simplicity of Ernest Hemingway's writing style is also in the way he presents information to the reader. In this case, it is necessary to mention the so-called “iceberg principle” utilized by the writer in all his works. He does tell much about or even does not tell at all about what a particular character feels and / or thoughts. He omits such delicate things, presents readers with mere facts and actions and makes them figure out what he implies. He does it in such a masterful way that the audience grasps the hidden meaning as if the writer stated it directly. The way Paul Cezanne created his masterpieces is regarded as a unique case in the history of art. The most significant technique which runs like a scarlet thread through the artist's work is the formation of shape of depicted figures with the use of color. In other words, it is his specific treatment and understanding of such categories as mass, shape and color that make his style of painting unique. The essence of the unique painting technique of Paul Cezanne is in the nature of the brush strokes. More specifically, the brush strokes used by the artist of heavy and thickly layered on the canvas so that they are tangible and can be seen with the naked eye. Cezanne's early works are moody and sometimes even violent for the artist was under the influence of Romanticism. As he developed his painting style and grew up as an artist, Cezanne's canvases became brighter, smoother, and more structured. At the same time, the character of brush strokes was the same; they were thick and heavy. In his works, he renders perspective through color only layering even brush strokes. His works are simple in their details because of the brushwork, which allows perceiving constituent elements. Once, Cezanne stated, “Everything in nature is modeled according to the sphere, the cone and the cylinder. One must learn to paint with these simple figures […]” (Shiff, 1984). In other words, Cezanne was inclined to simplicity in art. It is of no doubt that there is a strong and unique connection between Ernest Hemingway's writing and Paul Cezanne's painting. At first glance, their works seem to be perfectly simple. After taking a closer look, however, one sees that this simplicity in details, words, brush strokes etc. actually covers the intricacy and complexity in the entire work. Both Hemingway and Cezanne imply something tricky which is not seen on the surface. For example, many of Paul Cezanne's paintings, such as “Trees by the Water”, suggest that motion is an important component even though it is not depicted directly. The same works for Hemingway's pieces as his simple, sometimes abrupt and plain sentences usually imply more than it is said. The important thing that should be mentioned in this regard is that it is Paul Cezanne's art that encouraged the existence of such a unique connection. That matter is that Ernest Hemingway was greatly influenced by Cezanne's paintings and his style. As the writer explains in his novel “A Moveable Feast”, he went to the Musee du Luxembourg to see Impressionists' work almost every day. Hemingway (2009) states, “I was learning something from the painting of Cezanne that made writing simple true sentences far from enough to make the stories have the dimensions that I was trying to put in them”. In other words, Paul Cezanne's art has become a catalyst for the emergence of some kind of spiritual and intellectual connection between him and Hemingway. Both Ernest Hemingway and Paul Cezanne have developed a reputation as innovators in their spheres. Hemingway is famous for his simple, concise, sometimes rough and “hard-boiled” style of writing. Paul Cezanne is regarded as the father of modern art due to his innovative use of color to render form. These are well-known facts; the connection between these two great people is not paid enough attention. In fact, not so many people know it exists. If to compare the writing style of Ernest Hemingway and artistic style of Paul Cezanne, one can see that in their heart is one and the same thing, which is the longing for simplicity in representation and complexity in meaning. In this case, Cezanne as the founder of the Post-Impressionist movement acts as a spur to the emergence of such a unique connection between two different talented personalities. References: Artble. (2014). Paul Cezanne. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://www.artble.com/artists/paul_cezanne Hemingway, E. (2009). A moveable feast. (pp. 21-30). Simon and Schuster. Shiff, R. (1984). Cézanne and the end of impressionism: A study of the theory, technique, and critical evaluation of modern art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Wainwright, A. (2013, May 9). How to write better prose according to Ernest Hemingway. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://augustwainwright.com/how-to-write-better-according-to-ernest-hemingway/ Read More