Still Life with a Curtain
In subject close to the works of the Old Masters, this work is perhaps one of Cezanne's greatest still lives. But Cezanne was not interested in conveying the different textures of the objects, as were Dutch 17th-century painters: objects were important to him only as far as they presented clear, three-dimensional forms. The contrasting of different masses, modelled by resonant light, creates a dynamic composition and gives an element of tension to the space. At the same time, the painting is dominated by a balance of form and colour which creates an impression of unity and stability in this material world. Despite the prosaic subject matter, the components of the still life exist in a world of supra-real, essential values. They embody the powerful energy of nature, eternal and yet eternally changing.
c. 1895
Oil on canvas
55.0 x 74.5cm
Image and text © The Hermitage Museum