Head of a Boy 1887 - 1889

This is Paul Cézanne's sketch, "Head of a Boy." Though undated, it is suggestive of the artist’s post-impressionist style, where conventional portraiture meets a modern interest in form and structure. Cézanne’s model is a boy in a posture of reflection, his gaze turned downwards. The sketch subtly captures a moment of introspection, hinting at the complexities of youth and identity. There is an unfinished quality to the work. The boy is the subject of the piece, though this unfinished quality speaks to something incomplete about his identity. Cézanne, working in a society that was beginning to question traditional hierarchies and norms, subtly reflects this in his art. This sketch invites us to reflect on the personal and cultural factors that shape our understanding of identity. It gently challenges viewers to look beyond the surface and contemplate the deeper, often unformed, aspects of human experience.