Traditional still-life paintings often included vanitas elements, objects like overripe fruit or wilting flowers meant to reference the transience of life.īy contrast, Cézanne did not include overt vanitas elements in his works. In other words, it was relatively easy to see fruit and flowers for their aesthetic qualities alone. For Cézanne, who valued subject matter for its visual and formal qualities rather than for its associations, still-life painting would have been more readily separated from narrative or symbolism than any other genre. According to long-standing academic tradition, which remained current in Cézanne’s time, still-life was the least prestigious of all painting genres and was therefore not generally practiced by influential artists. It has been argued that Cézanne’s interest in still life painting may have stemmed partly from its low status in the academic hierarchy of genres. Why Still-Life? The Peppermint Bottle by Paul Cézanne, 1893/5, via National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. All of these objects appear on tabletop settings alongside table wares like bowls, plates, baskets, and water or wine vessels. He also sometimes painted flower arrangements in vases.
Fruits tend to be the main features apples and pears predominate, though it is sometimes difficult to identify exactly what fruit, vegetable, or food item is being depicted. With some exceptions, his still-life paintings all depict similar subjects. 1893, via Art Institute of ChicagoĪlthough several of his Impressionist contemporaries, particularly Auguste Renoir, worked extensively in still-life painting, Cézanne did not turn seriously to that genre until he had moved away from his Impressionist phase. Although his paintings may seem unfinished or even naïve, Cézanne was anything but unsophisticated.Ĭézanne’s Still-Life Paintings The Basket of Apples by Paul Cézanne, c. When he deviated from established modes of representation, as was frequently the case, he did so quite deliberately. Cézanne was a knowledgeable artist who was very familiar with the Old Masters. Soon, he abandoned the Impressionist aesthetic and embarked on his own aesthetic experiments, which proved deeply influential. His landscape paintings of Provencal settings, like Mont Sainte Victoire, the Bay of l’Estaque, and the Bibemus Quarry, have become some of his most famous works. He eventually moved back to Provence, where he resided for the rest of his life, aside from short-term return visits to Paris. Unsurprisingly, he was unable to find acceptance in the mainstream academic art scene, either. He exhibited at two of the Impressionist exhibitions in the 1870s but received poor reviews. His early style was somewhat reminiscent of Impressionism, and he befriended several Impressionists, particularly Camille Pissarro.
After training at a local Aix art school, Cézanne moved to Paris in 1861 but did not find much joy or success there. Despite his early interest in art, he entered law school at his father’s urging but quickly abandoned those studies. Paul Cézanne was born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. 1876-7, via Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Who Was Paul Cézanne Dish of Apples by Paul Cézanne, c.