The artwork titled “In the Woods,” crafted by artist Paul Cezanne in 1896, employs the medium of watercolor on paper. It measures 48 by 31 centimeters and is categorized within the landscape genre. While the piece is sometimes associated with the Cubist art movement, it must be clarified that Cezanne’s work was actually a precursor to Cubism, influencing the movement that would later fully develop in the early 20th century. As such, this artwork embodies elements that helped shape what would become known as Cubism. The artwork is currently held in a private collection.
The artwork presents a forest scene that is rendered with Cezanne’s characteristic brushstrokes and subtle use of color. Trees dominate the composition, reaching vertically across the paper and framing the view into the woodland depths. There is a soft, fluid quality to Cezanne’s use of watercolor, which allows the colors to blend and illuminate the scene with dappled light. Shadows and highlights seem to coalesce, giving both depth and volume to the trees and the forest floor. The play of natural light through the canopy creates a mosaic of colors, with hints of blue and pink mingling with the predominant greens and browns of the forest palette.
Although not strictly Cubist in technique, the fluid delineation of form and the abstracting nature of the strokes foreshadow the deconstruction of form that would later be at the heart of the Cubist movement. The artwork is evocative of the tranquility of the woods and illustrates Cezanne’s explorations of color, light, and structured composition—elements that would heavily influence the trajectory of modern art.
