Paul Cezanne, a French artist, created his painting “Compotier, Pitcher, and Fruit (Nature Morte)” in 1892-1894. The artwork is a formal still life composition displaying Cezanne’s exploration of form, balance, and symmetry in objects. He made around 200 such paintings over four decades as still life was an important genre for him.
In the painting, the objects are arranged asymmetrically to create tension through their opposing picture planes. However, they are balanced thanks to Cezanne’s use of color and shading techniques. This creates a sense of harmony between the objects while maintaining their individual identities.
Cezanne’s attention to detail is evident throughout the painting. His use of light and shadow creates depth in each object while highlighting their unique textures and forms. The pitcher, for example has intricate patterns etched on its surface that are accentuated by the play of light.
