Apples and Biscuits 1895

Editor: Here we have Paul Cézanne's "Apples and Biscuits" from around 1895. The composition is so interesting to me, a simple arrangement of fruit and what appear to be biscuits on a table, but rendered with this incredible texture. How do you interpret this work, looking at it from a historical context? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider Cézanne's still lifes in the context of late 19th-century artistic shifts. He painted this at a time of significant social and industrial change. Remember that photography was becoming increasingly accessible, challenging the traditional role of painting as a record of reality. Editor: So, the art world had to adapt? Curator: Precisely! Artists were compelled to explore subjective experiences, to push beyond mere representation. Cézanne does that beautifully. He's not just depicting apples and biscuits, he is presenting the *act* of seeing, of perceiving volume and space. How do the off-kilter perspective and visible brushstrokes play into this? Editor: They draw attention to the painting *as* a painting. It's like he's deconstructing the act of observation itself. There are a lot of brushstrokes; did Cézanne embrace what would soon become the public appeal of post-Impressionism? Curator: In some respects, yes. Still, note the rising middle class was beginning to desire paintings that offered a sense of stability and order. Yet, Cézanne’s visual experimentation challenged those notions of the period, creating space to develop a unique pictorial construction. It reflects tension: embracing aspects of this burgeoning popularity but also being something extremely different from established salons. Editor: I see. It's almost a push and pull between tradition and avant-garde tendencies, and the market demands that arose from that environment. Thank you, this has certainly changed how I understand Cézanne’s place in history! Curator: My pleasure! Considering the artistic movements within the social history that surrounded an artwork always deepens its appeal!