The artwork “Seated Woman” was created by the artist Paul Cezanne in the year 1879, executed in the medium of oil on canvas. It belongs to the post-Impressionist movement, which is characterized by a more subjective approach than the precise naturalism of Impressionism. The portrait measures 55 by 46 centimeters and is currently part of a private collection. The genre of this piece is a portrait, and it reflects Cezanne’s distinctive style of building form with color and his analytical approach to nature.
The artwork depicts a woman seated in an interior setting, her body facing the viewer while she appears to be slightly turned towards her right. The subject is dressed in a blouse with a pattern that is rendered through a harmonious array of blue and white strokes, giving a palpable texture to the fabric. Her folded hands rest on her lap, conveying a sense of repose or contemplation.
Cezanne’s treatment of the figure and the surrounding space demonstrates his pioneering shift towards the abstraction that would later influence cubism and modern art. The background is a muted blend of colors that set a soft, diffuse atmosphere, contrasting with the more defined brushwork of the figure. The brushstrokes are bold and are applied with a visible structure, suggesting volume and space around the woman.
Despite the adherence to naturalistic form, there is a distinctive departure from the detailed realism of earlier works. The woman’s face is portrayed with a simplified modeling, and the interplay of light and shadow is reduced to a juxtaposition of color planes. This technique exemplifies Cezanne’s contribution to Post-Impressionism, where the perception of the artist and the expressive potential of paint take precedence over exact replication of the visual world.
