Cezanne Portraits

Paul Cézanne, Uncle Dominique in Smock and Blue Cap, 1866–1867, oil on canvas, Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wolfe Fund, 1951; acquired from The Museum of Modern Art, Lillie P. Bliss Collection (53.140.1)

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A man sitting in a tall, upholstered armchair reads a newspaper in this vertical portrait painting. The man and the room in which he sits is loosely painted with bold, visible strokes throughout. He holds the paper close to his face, and the top edge falls over so we can read the title, “L’EVENEMENT.” He has a light, olive-toned complexion, and his white hair peeks from under a close-fitting black cap. He wears a high-necked white shirt under a chocolate-brown jacket, steel-gray trousers, white socks, and camel-brown shoes. The fabric on the chair is painted with broad brushstrokes to create a loose floral pattern on a white background. The man and chair are outlined in black. The man sits in the corner of a room with a closed door behind him to our right. Hanging on the wall over his head, and partially obscured by it, is a small, possibly unframed, still life painting with what could be kelly-green fruit and a royal-blue cup against a black background.

Paul Cézanne, The Artist's Father, Reading "L'Événement", 1866, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

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Paul Cézanne, Self-Portrait, c. 1875, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of Jacques Laroche, 1947, © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski

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Paul Cézanne, Victor Chocquet, 1876–1877, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Photograph © Bridgeman Images

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Paul Cézanne, Self-Portrait, 1880–1881, oil on canvas, The National Gallery, London. Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1925, © National Gallery, London

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Paul Cézanne, Madame Cézanne in a Red Dress, 1888-1890, oil on canvas, The Art Institute of Chicago, Wilson L. Mead Fund

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Paul Cézanne, Woman with a Coffee Maker (Cafetière), c. 1895, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Victor Pellerin, 1956, Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski

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Paul Cézanne, Gustave Geffroy, 1895–1896, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Pellerin family, 1969, Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski

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Paul Cézanne, Man in a Blue Smock, c. 1897, oil on canvas, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. Acquired in 1980 and dedicated to the memory of Richard F. Brown

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Paul Cézanne, Ambroise Vollard, 1899, oil on canvas, Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Photograph © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay)/Agence Bulloz

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Paul Cézanne, Man with Crossed Arms, c. 1899, oil on canvas, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

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Paul Cézanne, Seated Peasant, c. 1900–1904, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Photograph © Musée d'Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Patrice Schmidt

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A bearded man with a coppery-peach completion, wearing a dark, navy-blue brimmed cap, vest, jacket, and pants sits on a wooden bench or chair against a green background in this vertical portrait. The scene is loosely painted with thick, visible brushstrokes in kelly and shamrock green, deep, midnight blue, tawny brown, and charcoal gray to create a mottled effect. The man’s body is angled to our right and he looks in that direction. His legs are crossed and are cropped below the knees by the bottom right corner of the canvas. His fingers are interlaced in his lap with one thumb hooked between buttons on his vest. He has a long nose and his lips are closed. Touches of vibrant robin’s egg blue, sage green, pumpkin orange, and brick red enliven the dark clothing and shadows on the man’s features.

Paul Cézanne, The Gardener Vallier, 1906, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

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Cézanne Portraits