The artwork titled “Still Life with Fruits” was created by Paul Cezanne in 1880. This oil on canvas painting resides within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, NY, US. As an exemplar of the Post-Impressionism movement, this still life genre piece reflects the artist’s exploration of form and color in the depiction of everyday objects.
In the artwork, Cezanne portrays a collection of objects arranged on a tabletop, which includes an assortment of fruits, most prominently featuring apples and oranges, which are both scattered and bundled within a white drapery with deep folds. A greenish-brown bottle stands on the left side of the scene, providing a vertical contrast to the horizontal presence of the fruit and cloth. In the background, a bowl with decorative patterns is partially visible. The composition as a whole is characterized by Cezanne’s distinctive brushwork—bold and structural—which reflects his intent on capturing the underlying essence of the objects through color and light, rather than strict adherence to realistic representation. The subdued palette, dominated by earth tones, along with the strategic positioning of objects creating a play of perspectives, exemplifies Cezanne’s pioneering approach that would influence subsequent generations of modern artists.
