"Card Players" Cezanne

Paul Cezanne was posed by the villagers. This is a rare case when the models were not members of the artist's family. After all, he worked very slowly. 1-2 years on one painting!

Perhaps Cezanne chose the plot with cards for a reason. During a card game, people sit long enough in one position. In addition, the peasants knew how to patiently pose.

For 5 years, Cezanne created 5 paintings with card players. One of the most famous is in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris (as the main illustration).

There are "Players" in New York and London. Literally scattered around the world!

But back to work from Paris.

As always, Cezanne's color scheme is striking. The player's jacket on the left is not just brown. It is woven from green, purple, beige strokes.

And the player's hat on the right is white, yellow, red and blue.

Cezanne did not pursue realism.

The figures of men are strongly elongated. The table is skewed. His right leg is not at all partially drawn. As if the artist was running a brush over the canvas, and the paint ran out.

Why he drew the table in this way is difficult to understand. But we will try.

The fact is that Cezanne really wanted to convey the essence of the subject. The way he is. Without illusions and superficial in the form of a direct perspective and bright smooth colors.

In this he is somewhat close to icon painting.

Look at the book in the hands of the saint. The artist showed her as if from different sides: both from the side and from above.

To be sure to see its thickness. And at the same time, the heaviness was felt.

Cezanne also painted the table in such a way as to convey its texture, its real properties. Therefore, he shows it both from the side and from above. Hence the skewedness and negligence.

The most surprising thing is that most likely Cezanne did not see icons in the Byzantine style. And he came to this manner of writing without experiencing their influence.

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