Mont Sainte-Victoire And The Viaduct Of The Arc River Valley

The distinctive silhouette of Mont Saint-Victoire rises above the Arc River valley near the town of Aix. To paint this scene, Cezanne stood close to Montbriand, his sister's property, at the top of the hill just behind her house; the wall of the neighboring farmhouse is barely visible. Cezanne sought to reveal the inner geometry of nature, to make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of museums. Indeed the railroad viaduct that cuts throught this pastoral scene is evocative of a Roman aqueduct, recalling paintings by Nicolas Poussin.