How did mining influence #Picasso’s paintings?
The story starts with French painter Paul #Cézanne (1839-1906). He had a keen interest in geology and once said, “To paint a landscape well, I must first discover its geological foundations.”
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Cézanne's fascination with geology led him to produce about two dozen paintings in which rock formations were the main subjects.
Around 1895, Cézanne rented a small house (below) on the edge of Bibémus, a quarry near his hometown, Aix-en-Provence.
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He loved the rough, man-made geometric shapes of the quarry and spent much of his final years painting it.
The quarry influenced his work and, in turn, Cézanne had a huge influence on Cubist painters like Picasso (1881-1973).
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In fact, Cézanne has been called the father of Cubism and Picasso once said, "Cézanne's influence gradually flooded everything."
The Bibémus quarry started supplying building stone in Roman times. In the 17th and 18th centuries it became particularly important...
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...as Aix expanded and its stone was used in buildings throughout the city. The quarry closed in 1895.
The painting below is Picasso's "Landscape with Two Figures" (1908).
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Below is Cézanne's “Mont Sainte-Victoire Seen from the Bibémus Quarry" (1897) and a modern picture showing the same view.
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