The artwork entitled “Still Life with Sugar” is a masterful creation by Paul Cezanne, painted in 1890. This piece exemplifies the Post-Impressionist movement, distinctly rendered in oil on canvas. The dimensions of the piece are 61 by 90 centimeters. It is categorized within the still life genre and currently resides at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The artwork depicts a scene arranged with various objects typically found in a domestic setting. A draped tablecloth, bearing simple but elegant folds, seems to occupy much of the foreground, setting the stage for the composition’s subjects. Upon the cloth, there is an array of fruit—apples and pears—with a naturalistic palette that highlights their ripeness and tactile qualities. The fruit is arranged on both a plate and directly on the tablecloth, suggesting a casual yet deliberate placement.
To the left of the fruit, there is a white sugar pot with a spherical lid, its round form harmonizing with the organic shapes of the apples and pears. Its unadorned surface contrasts with a tall, ornately patterned pitcher behind it, which stands as a decorative and functional piece within the setting, adding visual interest and height to the composition.
The elements are presented with Cezanne’s characteristic attention to the interplay of color and light, along with a subtle geometric structuring of space that belies a deliberate underlying order to the seemingly casual display. The brushwork is visible and assertive, with texture and form being built up through the paint application—an element that contributes to the dynamic yet contemplative presence of the arrangement. The artwork captures a moment in time while simultaneously conveying the timeless quality inherent in still life compositions.
