This is part of an essay
done for an art appreciation course in May 2005. The part of the essay
dealing with the composition of
Cézanne's
Still Life with Apples and Oranges
is reproduced below.
Paul Cézanne,
Still
Life with Apples and Oranges
c. 1895—1900,
Oil on canvas, 74 x 93 cm
Musée
d'Orsay, Paris
by Mary
Adam
Cézanne is often called
“the father of modern art” and he has been credited as the
inspiration for Cubism. What elements of his work influenced
later painters, and can a link to Cubism, such as evidence of
multiple viewpoints, be found in this painting?
[...]
Composition
The objects are disposed around the table
in a seemingly casual fashion that gives an impression of
movement, depth and life. Analysis of the composition to see how
this is achieved reveals a series of oddities. For instance, the
focal point of the painting, the solitary apple at the front of
the table, is at the geometrical centre of the picture plane,
where the two diagonals cross. This should set the tone for a
very strict and formal arrangement but in fact the opposite is
true.
The main objects are arranged roughly in a
triangle or pyramid with its base resting on a horizontal line
just below the midpoint which might also coincide with the
tabletop.
(http://www.artchive.com/artchive/C/cezanne/appsorgs.jpg.html)
As for the table, it is not clear whether
it is
parallel to the picture plane or at an angle. This question has
given rise to conflicting interpretations including the theory
of multiple viewpoints. Confusion arises because of the
ambiguous dark area in the lower left. Is it the table or is it
fabric? Close examination reveals at least two different
patterned fabrics [in the painting], a beige and green one on the right and a dark
red and green one on the left.3 There is a possible
third fabric with a big pattern and a border underneath the
white cloth. The slanting dark line on the far right might
represent the continuation of this cloth draping over the corner
of the table. Seen in this way it’s possible that the table is
in fact parallel to the picture plane.
In support of this argument, Meyer Schapiro
sees the overall mass of the objects as roughly horizontal
across the picture2;
a
search of the internet shows that Cézanne placed the table
parallel to the picture plane in the great majority of his still
lifes; and a cloth somewhat similar to the proposed third cloth
occurs in another painting4, 5.
Another oddity is that the plate of apples
on the left is markedly tilted. It may be propped up by
something under the cloth. In fact, Cézanne is known to have
used wooden blocks and books to raise or tilt objects. In at
least one of his still lifes such a block is actually visible1.
So, while the tilted plate and the
ambiguous table angle could be used to support a theory of
multiple viewpoints, a more mundane explanation is also
possible.
Discussion
Strong modeling of forms is generally
associated with muted colours. Cézanne is unusual in that he
created strongly modelled forms that are remarkable for the
intensity of their colour. So a part of his achievement and
influence lies in this harmonizing of colour and form, a
brightening of the palette without sacrificing three
dimensionality.
Likewise, his compositional strangeness --
tilted plates and leaning verticals – may have arisen from a
desire for order without rigidity. According to one source
Cézanne’s purpose was to “lock” his compositions in place, to
give them total stability.6 However, this painting
and other still lifes are notable for their informal atmosphere.
Could Cézanne have been motivated in part by a desire to make
stable compositions that were yet informal and free?
Finally, Cézanne’s use of blocks to tilt
objects forward is at variance with the theory of multiple
viewpoints. It is unclear however what is meant by “multiple
viewpoints” since different authors use the term in very
different ways.7 This in turn leaves open the
question of what specifically in Cézanne’s art may have led to
the development of Cubism.
Notes
-
http://www.luc.edu/depts/history/dennis/Visual_Arts/11-cubism_Cezanne_The-Basket-of-Apples-(1896)-%5BAIC%5D.jpg
- Meyer Schapiro,
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/sl/basket-apples/
-
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/cezanne/portraits/cezanne.woman-seated-blue.jpg
-- fabric #2
-
http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/www.php/98/?action=show_item&item=341
-- fabric #3?
-
http://www.puzzlehouse.com/stilllife1000.htm -- fabric
#3?
-
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/o109325.html
-
http://worldzone.net/arts/doktorgee/MontageBook/MontageBook-part2.html
M.A.
May 08,
2005
Port of Spain, Trinidad and
Tobago
Related
pages on this
website:
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