Art Lecture: LEILA MEBERT “Modernism Part 2: Cézanne and Degas”

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Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas are two of the most influential figures in the transition from 19th-century art to modernism. Although often associated with Impressionism, both artists ultimately pursued very different artistic paths.

They were connected through their participation in the Impressionist exhibitions and a shared rejection of academic conventions. Both sought new ways of seeing—questioning traditional composition, perspective, and subject matter. Degas admired Cézanne’s originality, while Cézanne respected Degas’s discipline and intellectual rigor.

Together, Cézanne and Degas represent two distinct yet complementary approaches to modern art—one rooted in structure and form, the other in movement and modern life—both fundamentally reshaping how art would be seen and understood in the 20th century.