Still Life Apples and a Glass 1873

Paul Cézanne made this still life painting of apples and a glass using oil paint on canvas. These are fairly conventional materials, but it’s the way Cézanne handled them that makes this work special. Look closely, and you will see that he has built up the forms through layers of brushstrokes. These marks are not blended smoothly, but rather left visible, each one an individual record of his touch. The painting almost looks like a mosaic of color, with each tile contributing to the overall effect. It's this emphasis on the materiality of paint, along with the flattening of space, that marks Cézanne as a crucial bridge from impressionism to later modern art movements. He’s less interested in creating an illusion of reality, and more concerned with the act of painting itself. By drawing attention to his working process, Cézanne elevates the status of the craft that goes into fine art. He reminds us that art is not just about the subject matter, but also about the materials and the labor involved in bringing it to life.