Still Life with Apples and Peaches, c. 1905, Paul Cezanne

Formidable. Perfect. Everything is set. I'm ready to work. On this table, artist Paul Cezanne has placed two different cloths. A pitcher and bowl, and a plate loaded with apples and peaches. Was he setting the table for a meal? Nope. These objects were some props in his studio, which he carefully arranged to paint as a still life. Cezanne painted and repainted these items many times, each time challenging himself to create something new and different. The apples and peaches are made of different shades of yellow, orange, and red. They are surrounded by heavy bluish-black outlines that make them appear very solid. Cezanne worked slowly and carefully. He moved his easel frequently in order to study the objects from different points of view. Look at the table. We can see it from both the front as well as from the top. It's tilted down, angling towards us. Those apples and peaches might come rolling off the table at any moment. Paul Cezanne was born in Aix-en-Provence, a town in southern France. His father was a businessman who wanted his son to become a lawyer. Even though he took law classes, his true love was painting, and he studied to become an artist. Cezanne adored the countryside where he grew up. He was especially fond of its mountains and trees, which appear often in his many landscapes. In still life paintings, he included apples and peaches from local orchards, and ceramic bowls and pitchers that were made in Provence. Cezanne was interested in the most basic shapes of objects. He told a friend that every artist should... First of all, study geometric forms. The cone, the cube, the cylinder, the sphere. What shapes can you find in this painting?