Paul Cezanne

In a time in which Impressionism was growing in significance and popularity in the art world, an artist named Paul Cezanne came onto the scene. Cezanne was born in France in 1839, and he became one of the dominant members of the Post-Impressionist movement. While still depending on some of the facets of Impressionism, Cezanne also rejected many others, making his own form of painting that would become part of the Post-Impressionist style. Cezanne focused on many different subject matters throughout his career. His study of the human figure and portraiture includes a series of paintings of nude bathers, men playing cards, and several portraits of his wife. He also painted numerous still life’s, as well as many landscape paintings. In the hierarchy of painting, Cezanne clearly touched throughout every layer. 

            A somewhat obsessive painter, Cezanne would spend years at a time on a painting, and would make several paintings of the same subject, often times from different angles or perspectives. Cezanne also switched between his several different subject matters throughout his career. For example, some of his first works are still life’s, as are some of his last. Cezanne did dabble some in watercolor towards the end of his life, but for the most part he stuck to oil on canvas for all of his paintings.

            Although his subject matter and medium did not change much over time, Cezanne’s artistic style did change and develop as he got older and more experienced. As the 19th century came to a close, Cezanne’s art was increasing in depth, in concentrated richness of color, and in skill of composition.

Paul Cezanne, Bathers, 1874-75, Oil on Canvas, 1976.201.12

 Throughout his career Cezanne painted several scenes of nude female bathers. He was fascinated by the human form, but due to the extensive amount of time it took him to complete a painting and his discomfort around nude painting models, he painted his scenes mostly from imagination or after the style of classical and Renaissance art. This painting is one of the first nude bathers paintings he did, completed towards the very beginning of his career. In this painting, viewers can see the broad brushstrokes and somewhat limited color palette.

Paul Cezanne, Dish of Apples, 1876-77, Oil on Canvas, 1997.60.1

Cezanne’s repertoire of still life paintings is extensive and vast. Often including fruit of some sort and a wooden tabletop, Cezanne paints household objects throughout his whole career. He is also known for painting still life’s that appear just a bit off, like the lines of the table don’t seem to connect or the bottles seem lopsided. This painting is a still life from earlier on in his time as an artist, but already viewers see his devotion to composition and familiar objects. The napkin under the dish of apples was shaped to remind viewers of Mont Sainte-Victoire, located near his home and seen in many of his landscape paintings. The apples in this painting are bright and airy, contrasted against the darker background.

Paul Cezanne, Madame Cezanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850-1922) in a Red Dress, 1888-90, Oil on Canvas, 62.45

Cezanne painted four portraits of his wife wearing this red dress, but this one is distinct because it has the most elaborately furnished interior. The composition of this painting is very unique. Madame Cezanne is clearly the central figure, but the space around her seems distorted. The trim on the wall is too slanted to be realistic, and even the chair she sits in seems tilted. This distortion makes her appear more solid, firm amidst the confusion. Viewers can see Cezanne’s composition choices becoming more intentional. The color palette of this painting is predominately primary colors, which can be seen in some later paintings as well. These colors show the developing rich color scheme. 

Paul Cezanne, The Card Players, 1890-92, Oil on Canvas, 61.101.1

While in his fifties, Cezanne undertook a new subject matter in his representation of men playing cards. Cezanne used figure studies he had made of local farmhands to create his composition. Once he had figured out his conception, he continued to fine-tune the poses and positions of the men until they, like the four pipes hanging on the wall, fell perfectly into place. The composition of this painting was clearly very important to Cezanne, due to his extensive research and intentionality. The colors of this painting are deep and rich. The skin tones compared to those of Cezanne’s Bathers are much richer and contain many variations in color. 

Paul Cezanne, The House with the Cracked Walls, 1892-94, Oil on Canvas, 1993.400.2 

Cezanne spent a significant amount of time painting landscape scenes around his studio in Aix. This painting is one of several paintings depicting abandoned sites from this series. The deepening saturation of the colors and the importance of composition are becoming increasingly clear in Cezanne’s artwork. The colors are rich and contrast sharply against each other. The composition and use of leading lines make the focal point of the painting obvious. Cezanne’s depth and skill as an artist are visibly increasing as his career develops. 

Paul Cezanne, Still Life with a Watermelon and Pomegranates, 1900-1906, Watercolor over graphite on laid paper, 2001.202.1

This watercolor still life was painted towards the very end of Cezanne’s career before his death. It was at this time that he began to experiment with different mediums. Due to this, the colors of the still life are very saturated and dark, a stark contrast to his oil paintings. The viewers can also see the increased skill in approaching a composition. The lines of the painting are much more realistic, and the fruits are shaped and depicted appropriately. While still similar to some of his other still life paintings, viewers can also see Cezanne’s increased depth through his variety of objects.