The artwork titled “Still life with apples, servettes and a milkcan” is a masterful creation by Paul Cézanne, completed in 1880. This oil on canvas painting belongs to the Impressionist movement, a genre that Cézanne helped to define, and it is categorized specifically as a still life. The painting showcases Cézanne’s unique approach to form and tone, embodying the transitional period in which he played an integral role in shaping the direction of modern art.
The artwork features a composition that includes a collection of apples, both grouped and spread across the canvas, along with what appears to be serviettes or drapery, partially covering a portion of the fruit and the table’s edge. Accompanying these items is a metal milkcan to the left side of the canvas, its form presented in a manner that suggests both solidity and the artist’s interest in perceiving objects from multiple viewpoints.
The backdrop of the artwork is a patterned wall or surface, decorated with diamond shapes and fleur-de-lis motifs, rendered in warm hues that complement the earth tones of the tabletop and provide a rich contrast to the cool tones of the metal milkcan. The application of paint varies across the surface, providing texture and giving the objects weight and presence, an effect that contributes to an overall sense of depth despite the flattening tendencies of the composition.
Cézanne’s careful treatment of light and shadow in the artwork contributes to the three-dimensional effect of the fruits and objects. His brushwork suggests a tactile quality to the materials, such as the softness of the servettes and the smooth, reflective surface of the apples. The arrangement of elements indicates a deliberate balance between geometric structure and naturalism—a hallmark of Cézanne’s work that influenced the development of Cubism and subsequent avant-garde movements. This still life painting thus exemplifies the artist’s pivotal role in the Impressionist movement while also foreshadowing the style and techniques that would characterize the art of the early 20th century.
