Cezanne's "At The Water's Edge"

 The National Gallery in Washington has many Cezannes on display. My favorite is a painting that looks not quite done, as if he never finished layering all the colors. Viewers can see how he used a brush loaded with dark paint to draw in the lines that determine the structures of buildings, bushes and trees. Then he started adding his blocky dabs of greens and browns along with the spongier shapes of clouds. Reflections shimmer on the water. The buildings look sturdy. Those clouds billow and reflect sunlight. Does it matter whether or not the painting is finished? It stirs my soul while also revealing the artist’s methods.