The Bay of Marseilles

Warm terracotta rooftops tumble across the foreground of this coastal view, dotted with the tall chimneys of factories and a few dark green trees. Paul Cézanne painted the Bay of Marseilles from the village of L'Estaque, a place along the southern French coast he came back to again and again. Behind the cluster of houses sits a wide sheet of deep blue water, and further still, gentle purple mountains rise toward a soft, hazy sky.

Rather than chasing the flicker of light like the Impressionists of his day, Cézanne worked slowly and thoughtfully, treating the sea and hills almost like flat, solid slabs of color. He once compared this coastline to a playing card, simple and clear, and that idea comes through in the calm, blocky bands of blue and violet stacked across the canvas. His patient search for the shape and structure hidden inside a landscape left a deep mark on the artists who followed, especially Picasso, who leaned on Cézanne's ideas while helping to invent Cubism.

Quiet as it may seem at first glance, the painting rewards a little attention. Every rooftop, tree, and ripple of water feels carefully weighed and set in place, giving the whole scene a steady, grounded sense of balance.