Sue Bains
My Stuff

It is difficult to compare my colours with the original as the reproduction images vary so much. Even the size (original ratio of width to height: 1.2) vary in reproductions! My copy has a ratio of 1.28 but has an extra cm or so “made up” on the right to allow for the difference.
I used a limited palette with no greens or warm blues which severely inhibited me from getting the exact colours, particularly in the greens in the foreground.
It appeared to me that Cezanne painted the trees and then painted the paler background of sky and sea. He also used a thin grey line to edge the trees and houses which gives his work a style more akin to cubism than impressionism in my opinion.
The sea is a riot of colours – blue, mauve, pink and green can be seen in the original. Unfortunately this differs significantly in reproductions. Similarly, some reproductions appear to show smoke coming from the chimney, which is not apparent in others.
I found it difficult to distinguish the buildings from each other. Some are obvious either from their shape or from their distinct colour. Others, particularly towards the right of the painting, are almost abstract.
The “path” in the foreground is frequently cropped from reproductions. This is easy to understand as it is difficult to see as part of the painting with the trees and bushes finishing abruptly on its horizontal line. I struggled with getting it anywhere near right as Cezanne’s brushstrokes appear to be horizontal, but this resulted in a speeding motorway appearance, so I softened it with some vertical strokes, although I feel that now looks a bit like a reflection!