Cézanne – Flawed Vase and Apples

Among his many still-life subjects, Cézanne held a special fondness for apples, which, unlike more perishable fruit, held up well even left out for long stretches. He considered the round sphere the easiest form to paint, and apples offered something a vase or pitcher couldn't: a mix of colors inside the fruit itself that shifted subtly with the light. The pairing became inseparable, and true to form, apples appear here too.

The table is likewise painted as though seen from above, so that everything resting on it stays fully visible. Cézanne paid little mind to strict perspective — what mattered more to him was the overall unity of the composition rather than a faithful rendering of what the eye actually sees.