The artwork “Still Life with Flowers and Fruit” by Paul Cezanne is an oil on canvas painting created in 1890. It is a quintessential piece of the Post-Impressionism art movement, which is known for its departure from the precise forms and sometimes restricted sensations of Impressionism. Measuring 82 by 65.5 centimeters, this still life is part of the collection at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, where it remains on display for the public to appreciate.
The artwork displays a rich assembly of objects arranged on a table, a composition that allows Cezanne to explore form, color, and spatial relationships. The table bears a draped cloth with delicate folds and creases that attract attention with their play of light and shadow. On this cloth rest assorted fruits, including pears and apples, rendered with voluminous shapes that exhibit a tactile sense of weight and texture. These fruits are juxtaposed with a robust bouquet of flowers, possibly wild perennials and roses, which are situated in an earthenware jug. Cezanne’s brushwork gives the floral arrangement a lively, dynamic character.
The background is relatively muted and dark, with the dense foliage of the flowers almost merging into the shadows. This allows the brighter colors of the fruit and selected petals to stand out, creating a focal point that draws the viewer’s eye across the work. Cezanne’s use of shifting perspectives can be observed in the slight tilts and angles within the composition, lending the artwork a sense of depth and complexity that invites contemplation.
Overall, the painting is emblematic of Cezanne’s contribution to the development of modern art, as he pursued a personal approach to rendering the observed world with a balance of form and color—the fruits of his artistic exploration laid upon the canvas for generations to admire.
