The Brook

The Brook — Paul Cézanne. c. 1895–1900.

Medium: oil on fabric. Dimensions: Framed: 74.9 x 97.2 x 8.3 cm (29 1/2 x 38 1/4 x 3 1/4 in.); Unframed: 59.2 x 81 cm (23 5/16 x 31 7/8 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Although Cezanne exhibited twice with the Impressionists, he rejected his friends’ goals of capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere in their art. Instead, he sought to create balance among the forms and colors in his compositions. This painting depicts the valley of the Arc River that runs southeast of Cezanne’s home in Aix-en-Provence. Throughout the composition, he juxtaposed strokes of different hues, describing the leaves, branches, and the stream with color rather than drawing the outlines of forms.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.