Paul Cézanne, French, 1839-1906 – Still Life with Apples and a Glass of Wine Philadelphia Museum of Art

The composition presents a still life arrangement centered around fruit displayed on a shallow plate. A glass filled with a dark liquid stands adjacent to the plate, while a white ceramic pitcher occupies the upper left quadrant of the canvas. The objects rest upon a table surface rendered in muted tones, creating a sense of depth and grounding for the scene.
The artist’s approach to form is notable; the fruit are not depicted with smooth contours or realistic shading. Instead, they appear as collections of planes, each subtly angled and colored differently. This fracturing of form suggests an exploration of how objects exist in space, rather than a straightforward representation of their appearance. The apples themselves exhibit a range of hues – reds, oranges, yellows – suggesting variations in light and ripeness.
The pitcher’s shape is similarly deconstructed, its curves broken down into distinct facets that seem to shift slightly depending on the viewers perspective. This technique contributes to an overall feeling of instability and visual complexity. The glass, while seemingly simpler, also displays a similar treatment, with its cylindrical form subtly distorted by the artist’s brushstrokes.
The color palette is restrained, dominated by earth tones – greens, browns, grays – with the vibrant reds and oranges of the fruit providing focal points. This limited range contributes to a sense of quiet contemplation. The lighting appears diffused, casting soft shadows that further flatten the forms and emphasize their planar nature.
Beyond the purely visual elements, the painting evokes a sense of introspection. The deliberate distortion of form challenges conventional notions of representation, inviting viewers to consider the underlying structure of objects and the subjective nature of perception. The arrangement itself – the commonplace items of fruit, wine, and tableware – suggests an appreciation for the beauty found in everyday life, elevated through artistic interpretation. Theres a certain stillness and weightiness to the scene, hinting at themes of mortality and the passage of time, as these are objects destined to decay.