“Still Life with a Chest of Drawers” is a work of art by Paul Cezanne, crafted around 1887. This artwork stands as an exemplar of Post-Impressionism, a movement that Paul Cezanne helped to pioneer. Utilizing oil on canvas as his medium, Cezanne demonstrates his mastery with dimensions of 65 by 81 centimeters. As its title suggests, it is a still life genre painting, and it is currently displayed at the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, Germany.
The artwork features a robust composition. In the foreground, one can observe a wooden table at an angle, on which rests a pure white cloth, draped to reveal several pieces of ceramics and a collection of fruit. The central focus of the still life is a rounded bowl filled with apples. The apples are rendered with distinct brushstrokes, capturing the light and their volumetric form. By their side sit a decorated sugar pot with detailed floral patterns and its lid slightly askew, alongside a dark green jar, alluding to the everyday household objects of the time.
Dominating the background is a chest of drawers rendered in earthy tones of brown and hints of red, with visible round knobs accentuating its functional aspect. It stands as a stark, solid figure against the more delicately represented objects in the foreground. Cezanne’s use of color is subdued, with an emphasis on earth tones that lend a grounded, comforting feel to the scene. The composition has a dynamic tension, characterized by the juxtaposition of the diagonal placement of the table against the vertical lines of the chest of drawers. Notably, Cezanne’s brushwork is visible throughout the painting, reflecting his technique to build form and depth through color and texture, a hallmark of his contribution to the Post-Impressionist movement.
