Cézanne shows a truly masterful understanding and application of color. Rich
development of form is created through calibration of color purity. He uses
color temperature to great effect to create spatial order. His use of
texture is amazing and intuitive. |
The title bears the subject, which is static, almost cliché. Cézanne’s
impressive use of formal elements is engaging and brings such an original
vitality to this work that his formal choices supplant the physical objects as
the subject (ie, content overpowers subject).
Several elements blended seamlessly are activated in this work; the most
important is color purity. While a
roughly single basic color defines a given shape, his introduction of adjacent colors
give the shapes spatial depth (not
purity, as I guessed). For example, by warming the yellowish-greens used to
build an apple to greenish-yellow, an organic highlight is created. He cools
the base color by introducing blue to create its shadow-side. It seems not a
single drop of black or white pigment was used to create the full, rich value
scheme Cézanne has created, value becoming incidental. Texture
is used to equally stunning effect as color. Aside from color temperature, sharply diminishing detail, overlap and a
consistent light source create intuitive spatial order.
While the table top supporting the subject seems to be
floating in air, somehow there is little pictorial tension in this work. I
believe this shows how the artist’s severe and expert reduction of detail
around the subject serve organic unity to perfection. In terms of area, cool colors “outnumber” warm, however this work has a
distinct sense of heat coming form it. Part of this is due to the strong chroma
of the subject elements, while supporting have contrast reduced and details
sacrificed. There is quite pleasing balance between straight and curved,
roughly circular edges. All areas are
harmonized by a distinct and rough textural style.
Clearly the warm, central area of the canvas carries almost all visual weight
in this composition. There is rich interplay of mid-toned red and high-key
greens, and well-blended adjacent color, causing the eye to “dance” around this
area. In this way, and in the repeated circular shapes, rhythm is installed. Beyond that, cool fields of texture
with spartan detail create a needed shift in mood from energetic to calming. The viewer is near at-hand to the subject, looking down from an oblique
elevated angle. The picture frame is used in such a way to create three roughly
lateral thirds to further organize the composition, with almost all movement in
the middle third.
This work is simply amazing, I can’t say that enough. In my opinion, it belongs
in the same stratosphere as Caravaggio’s The
Calling of Saint Matthew and Monet’s Waterloo
Bridge series. The ground-breaking lesson for every art student in this
work is that color can be more
effective than value in defining shadows
and highlights, even if it takes more practice to master. 
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