Looking at the still lives of Paul Cezanne we are able to notice the stark differences in the midst of the simplicity of the painting. Cezanne shows great composition in the contrast between the colors and shapes depicted in his still lifes. He also seems to go against the norms of impressionism and challenges the world of art by depicting objects in his painting as somewhat off putting. Still lifes were genres of paintings that can be seen throughout different time periods and created by a wide array of different artists. There is variety within the theme of still lifes and drastic differences can be seen as time moves forward. Many artists conveyed different things through still lives and by comparing them to Cezanne we are able to see how much still lifes evolved in the world of art. There seems to be a change in style, texture, content, coloration, and lighting. The still lifes presented have similar objects depicted throughout them, but how the artists chose to convey each object is drastically different and evolves over time. The era each artist lived in greatly impacts the way their art is portrayed. By looking at still lifes of fruit and tables from different time periods, we can see a drastic difference in style and content from multiple different artists. Each object that the artist painted changes and shows a difference from Cezanne and evolves into a more modern painting.
Paul Cezanne: Still Life with Apples and Pot of Primroses, 1890, oil on canvas, the MET
We can see from the still life of Paul Cezanne that his work goes against the time period he was in. He decided to paint his fruit and the plant in such a way where we can see evident strokes and there is clear contrast with color. The perspective is also off with the table which is unsettling. Cezanne decided to go against the impressionist artists and paint in a way that was not as realistic but is still depicting objects from everyday life that are simple and ordinary. Moving through the ages, we are able to look at the works of Cezanne and see how many artists took a different route when it comes to still lifes. The simplicity and unsettledness Cezanne chooses cannot really be seen through the ages.
1.) Abraham van Beyeren, Still Life with Lobster and Fruit, early 1650s, oil on wood, the MET
Even before the time of Paul Cezanne, the world of still lifes looked drastically different. Abraham van Beyeren paints a lobster with fruit in his still life. The painting is dark and the way that van Beyeren chooses to use light is almost theatrical and puts a spotlight on certain objects in the painting. We can see Cezanne straying away from this with his bright colors and unsettling depiction of objects that are not realistic. Abraham van Beyeren, being in the baroque era, strongly desired to portray real and implied movement as well as have an emphasis on light and its effects. He chooses dark colors while also keeping the viewing of his objects realistic like we can see with the works of Latour. Both artists depict their still lifes differently than Cezanne by making them much darker and clean-cut.
2.) unknown, Still Life—Flowers and Fruit in White and Pink Bowl, 1840–60, oil on glass/tinsel, the MET
This still life was not far off from the time of Latour and before Cezanne. This still life has a dark background but contrasts with a bright bowl of fruit and flowers. The artist seemed to be contributing and working during the time of realism. This period of art was where artists focused on unidealized objects and attempted to depict things that would relate to people of all classes. They depicted things that happened in ordinary life and reflected the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. The unknown artist chooses to draw the viewer in by great colors which is similar to what Cezanne does. However, this still life is different in that the objects depicted do not look over realistic and the colors all go nicely together. The lighting of the painting is more like a spotlight on the bowl of fruit and is not natural. Where Cezanne goes a simpler route, this painting is extravagant and is far from simple. It is very loud in color and overwhelming in content. This was of course impacted by the time period the artist was painting in and still lifes continue to evolve based off of when the artists were painting.
3.) Henri Fantin-Latour, Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, 1866, oil on canvas, the MET
This painting immediately looks more modern and realistic than the artworks of Cezanne. Latour chooses to use realistic colors and depicts the fruit and flowers with clean, cut strokes that almost resemble that of an actual photograph. Because Latour grew up in the era of impressionism, his art was supposed to depict objects in such a way that someone would see it if they just caught a glimpse of it. His artwork shows that Latour desired to paint more serious and complex compositions in a realistic style. The colors and lighting are darker than that of Cezanne because he cared about his still lives looking realistic where Cezanne was knowingly challenging the norms which can be seen in his paintings. We can already see still lifes changing and evolving from what they had been and will become.
4.) Joseph Stella, Still Life (the Armory Show), 1912, oil on canvas, Curtis Galleries
We can see from Stella’s still life that even being after the impressionist movement, he is still trying to capture the reflections of everyday and ordinary life. But, he also is pointing towards a futurism for America. Stella paints a very unified and coherent scene that is much different than the artists from the baroque period and even from Latour in the impressionist period. Stella uses great color and light to brighten up his painting of the ordinary objects. Stella’s use of light and color are drastically different from the works of Cezanne. During this time of post impressionism, “Stella was initially so overcome by the avant-garde art he saw in Paris in 1911-1912 that he was unable to work. When he was ready to paint, he completed a series of Post-Impressionist still lifes—this canvas is a prime example. It illustrates the ways in which Stella experimented with high-keyed color and textured surfaces while retaining the illusion of three-dimensional space and the realistic depiction of objects” (armory.com).
5.) Juan Gris , Still Life with Checked Tablecloth,1915, oil and graphite on canvas, the MET
Juan Gris was an artist during Synthetic Cubism which was a time period where many artists started using brighter colors, simpler shapes, and added textures to their paintings. There was experimentation with collaging and using printed paper. Juan Gris loved to put disguised images in his paintings and in this still life we can see a hidden image of a bull. He uses ordinary objects such as coffee cups, grapes, and wine bottles as tools to make the image of a bull’s face. We can see a major transition from Cezanne and Gris in their still lifes. As time moved forward, artists made their still lifes more modern and made their art more interpretive. Still lifes now consist of textures and odd shapes that are supposed to be used to provide a deeper meaning to the audience. The time period of Synthetic Cubism was drastically different from the impressionist movement that Cezanne was a part of and therefore the still lifes reflected that.
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