CÉZANNE, Paul
(b. 1839, Aix-en-Provence, d. 1906, Aix-en-Provence)

The Blue Vase

1889-90
Oil on canvas, 61 x 50 cm
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

In the background of the painting, sections of two picture frames and a wall-covering form a slight diagonal running through the picture. In front stands a table, cut off at both ends by the sides of the picture, its lower edge only slightly above the bottom edge of the painting and is almost parallel to it. On the table, next to the vase containing the flowers, are a bottle, a plate, and another vessel. Three apples lie in the foreground, in line with the vase. The small number of carefully placed objects are organized in a skillful interplay of verticals, horizontals, and diagonals.

The range of colours reflects Cézanne's striving for equilibrium. The most intense colour values are seen in the flowers, where red is juxtaposed with white, and white with green. The harmony of the picture is basically determined by the subtle range of various shades of blue, which are accompanied by contrasting orange and pale ochre, the complementary colour. Around the central blue vase, which dominates the composition, the tallest flowers form a turquoise group; as if by extension, the wall has a bluish sheen, and even the shadows of the objects assembled on the table are blue.