Authentic watercolors by Cézanne are rare. He embraced this technique during the final years of his life, gradually moving away from dense colors to discover lighter tones.

The presence of this plate of cherries in Luigi Magnani’s collection is therefore significant. Why are these works here, and what drew this particular collector to them?

His own words provide insight:

“The relationship I cherish with a work of art is one that pertains exclusively to form. A painting filled with content, even beautiful stories, does not interest me at all. I care only about the formal aspect; otherwise, I remain indifferent.”

His formal exploration led him to collect Cézanne’s works—aware of compensating for Italy’s lack of the most revealing pieces by one of the fathers of the 20th century—particularly the cerebral watercolors. In these, the artist recreates the substance of things, the structure of form, the inherent plastic sense of nature, surpassing the anecdotal retinal impressions of Impressionism.

The artist aimed for the image of nature, inherently fleeting, to be perceived “as eternal,” employing a compositional method based on fragmented touches and an increasing detachment from the objective reality. This approach allowed him to glimpse a new spatial structure where things open up, without limits, to one another and “interpenetrate” into a volumetric abstraction.

The value of these works is undeniable, as noted by Giulio Carlo Argan. In the watercolors, Argan argues, Cézanne’s complex painting philosophy becomes tangible and transparent.

These are the profound mysteries of taste that distinguish great collectors who, like hounds, sense the value of things even without intimate knowledge. It is precisely the invisible thread of Luigi Magnani’s interest that becomes a mysterious, magnetic warp, supporting his Villa dei Capolavori.

La Villa dei Capolavori is a podcast curated by Altremuse.

An idea by kreativehouse.