Paul Cezanne, 'Curtain, Jug and Dish of Fruit', 1893-4
About the work
Overview
In the early 1890s, Cezanne repeatedly painted the same set of objects in the isolation of his studio – fruit, dishes, cloths, and a water jug – to render them from different perspectives and interrogate their formal properties. In this picture, Cezanne introduces subtle effects of distortion to the otherwise coherent arrangement of objects. The simplified, less modulated forms of the oranges seem inconsistent with the swollen base of the jug, or the drapery with its contoured folds and ridges, while the fruit in the foreground hovers precariously on the fabric’s folds. It is as if Cezanne has brought together objects that have been painted at different times from different perspectives. With this intense and process-driven treatment, the prosaic items on display attain an enduring splendour.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Curtain, Jug and Dish of Fruit
- Artist
- Paul Cezanne
- Artist dates
- 1839 - 1906
- Date made
- 1893-4
- Medium and support
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 59 × 72.4 cm
- Acquisition credit
- On loan from a private collection
- Inventory number
- L1345
- Location
- Room 45
- Image copyright
- On loan from a private collection, © Private Collection
- Collection
- Main Collection
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.