The artwork entitled “Houses in Provence, near Gardanne” is a creation of celebrated artist Paul Cezanne and was completed in the year 1886. Characteristic of the Post-Impressionist movement, this oil on canvas bears the dimensions of 65 by 78.5 centimeters and belongs to the landscape genre. Paul Cezanne’s innovative approach to form and color greatly influenced the aesthetic departures of the 20th century.
In the artwork, viewers are presented with a rural scene that portrays the rustic charm of the Provencal landscape. The painting captures a collection of houses situated amid rolling hills, with a backdrop that suggests the grandeur of distant mountains. The architectural forms are rendered with a solidity that is typical of Cezanne’s quest to achieve structure and depth in his paintings. The artist employs a palette dominated by earthy tones, greens, blues, and ochres, reflecting the natural hues of the Provencal countryside.
Trees surrounding the buildings are depicted with broad, almost sculptural strokes, giving them a weight and gravity that balance the compositional space. The sky, less detailed, provides a serene and unifying backdrop for the more defined shapes in the foreground. Overall, the landscape is depicted with a sense of geometric simplicity, a hallmark of Cezanne’s style that forges a bridge between the impressionistic capture of light and a more abstract, analytical approach to the representation of nature.
