Portrait de Monsieur Chocquet 1877 - 1881

Editor: This is Paul Cézanne’s "Portrait de Monsieur Chocquet," created sometime between 1877 and 1881, rendered in pencil. The drawing has a raw, unfinished feel. What's your take on this portrait? Curator: I see a challenge to the traditional power dynamics inherent in portraiture. Who was Monsieur Chocquet? A collector, an early supporter of the Impressionists – a bourgeois man. How does Cézanne depict him? Not with idealized grandeur, but with a searching, almost vulnerable gaze. It feels less like a commissioned portrait and more like an exploration of a person, don't you think? Editor: Yes, it definitely humanizes him. You see the individual. Curator: Exactly. Now consider the context. Impressionism, and Cézanne in particular, was pushing back against academic art, against the Salon system that dictated whose art was "good." So, even the act of choosing to depict Chocquet in this way – without the trappings of wealth or status – can be seen as a political statement, challenging the norms of representation. Editor: That's a fascinating way to look at it. So the informality is intentional? Curator: I think so. And perhaps, subconsciously, there is an acknowledgment that Chocquet's patronage afforded Cézanne the space to create, yet Cézanne refrains from simply celebrating Chocquet's social position. Instead, he shows him as an individual with unique character and complexity. Editor: I hadn’t thought about patronage in relation to the work. Thanks, this gives me so much to think about regarding Impressionism. Curator: It’s also a reminder to look beyond the surface and consider the socio-political undercurrents at play, especially the representation of power, in art.