Description
Henri-Edmond Cross (1856–1910) painted light itself. Born Henri-Edmond Delacroix in Douai, he changed his name to avoid confusion with the great Romantic — and went on to become one of the masters of French Neo-Impressionism. Daniel Coenn's volume in the My Pocket Gallery series gathers his finest paintings and watercolors into a portable e-book that traces his journey from the studios of Lille and Paris to the radiant Mediterranean coast. Settling in the south of France in 1891 for his health, Cross fell under the spell of the region's blazing light. Working alongside Paul Signac, he loosened Seurat's strict pointillism into something more lyrical: mosaic-like touches of pure, unmixed color that shimmer on the canvas. His sun-drenched beaches, gardens, and bathers — and his luminous watercolors — helped carry Neo-Impressionism toward the color revolutions of the Fauves.
This pocket gallery presents high-resolution reproductions you can study anywhere, with an accessible account of his life, technique, and place in modern art. What makes Cross especially rewarding to study is that he stands at a crossroads: behind him, the science of Seurat's dots; ahead of him, the wild color of Matisse and the Fauves, who learned from his example that color could be free. In his paintings you can watch that transition happening — the disciplined mosaic of touches gradually loosening into something more emotional, more Mediterranean, more personal. His watercolors show the same journey in a lighter medium, where the white of the paper itself becomes part of the light. For painters, the reproductions are a practical education in how unmixed color creates luminosity; for everyone else, they are simply beautiful to look at.
Ideal for students of color theory, painters, and anyone who loves the French Riviera rendered in pure light. Carry this radiant gallery in ebook form at a discount from Tellebook.
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