BASKET OF APPLES Still life was an-
other good vehicle for Cézanne’s experiments,
as he could arrange a limited number of se-
lected objects to provide a well-ordered point
of departure. So analytical was Cézanne in
preparing, observing, and painting still lifes (in
contrast to the Impressionist emphasis on the
concept of spontaneity) that he had to aban-
don using real fruit and flowers because they
tended to rot. In Basket of Apples (FIG. 31-21),
the objects have lost something of their indi-
vidual character as bottles and fruit and almost become cylinders
and spheres. Cézanne captured the solidity of each object by juxta-
posing color patches. His interest in the study of volume and solidity
is evident from the disjunctures in the painting—the table edges are
discontinuous, and various objects seem to be depicted from differ-
ent vantage points. In his zeal to understand three-dimensionality
and to convey the placement of forms relative to the space around
them, Cézanne explored his still-life arrangements from different
viewpoints. This resulted in paintings that, although conceptually
coherent, do not appear optically realistic. Cézanne created what
might be called, paradoxically, an architecture of color.
In keeping with the modernist concern with the integrity of the
painting surface, Cézanne’s methods never allow the viewer to disre-
gard the two-dimensionality of the picture plane. In this manner,
Cézanne achieved a remarkable feat—presenting the viewer with
two-dimensional and three-dimensional images simultaneously.Symbolism
The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists believed their emotions
and sensations were important elements for interpreting nature, but
the depiction of nature remained a primary focus of their efforts. By31-21Paul Cézanne,Basket of Apples,
ca. 1895. Oil on canvas, 2–^38 2 7 .Art
Institute of Chicago, Chicago (Helen Birch
Bartlett Memorial Collection, 1926).
Cézanne’s analytical approach to painting is evi-
dent in his still lifes. He captured the solidity of
bottles and fruit by juxtaposing color patches,
but the resulting abstract shapes are not optically
realistic.
31-22Pierre Puvis de Chavannes,Sacred Grove,1884. Oil on canvas, 2 11 –^12 6 10 . Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (Potter Palmer Collection).
The Symbolists revered Puvis de Chavannes for his rejection of Realism. His statuesque figures in timeless poses inhabit a tranquil landscape, their
gestures suggesting a symbolic ritual significance.
1 ft.1 ft.838 Chapter 31 EUROPE AND AMERICA, 1870 TO 1900