Final answer:
Paul Cézanne's focus in Mont Sainte-Victoire was on portraying the complexity of human vision and the challenge of translating this dynamic perception onto the static medium of the canvas. He employed a technique of geometric simplification and color planes, influencing the development of Cubism and artists like Georges Braque.
Step-by-step explanation:
A central concern in Paul Cézanne's Mont Sainte-Victoire is the exploration of geometric simplification and the optical phenomena of sight. Cézanne was interested in the challenge of representing the true experience of visual perception, acknowledging that vision is dynamic and continuous, thus contrasting with the stationary nature of a painted canvas. He pursued this through a painting technique that involved creating planes with several brushstrokes in singular hues, such as ocher, and then juxtaposing these with other colors like grey to suggest forms without outlining their contours. This approach was influential in the development of Cubism and had a significant impact on artists like Georges Braque, who found inspiration in Cézanne’s use of color and brushwork.
The representation of the mountain, Mont Sainte-Victoire, and its surrounding landscape is depicted through a mastery of color and composition, crafting horizontal layers of land, bushes, the mountain, and the sky to convey depth and distance using muted colors. His use of vertical elements, like trees, further adds to the painting’s depth. Through this oeuvre, Cézanne not only demonstrates his command over the landscape but also his ability to capture the complex way in which humans perceive their environment, which is far more than the static capture of a single moment.