Madame Cezanne in a yellow chair

Wife of Paul Cezanne Hortense, estimated by the researchers depicted in 29 of his paintings. It's really weird. Because the textbook biographies of the artist is difficult to find another figure, so graciously and consistently expunged from his life, from his personal list of "important". But 29 pictures prove at least the fact that cézanne met with the wife more frequently than say her haters. Besides posing Cezanne – the test is not for the weak. He demanded complete stillness, was very slow and lost his temper when the model changed pose. Tore the canvas or throwing it in a corner, having lost the necessary contact with the model.

The mother and sister of the artist was sure that Hortense wants to rip off the Fields as sticky, she married for convenience. Friends of Cezanne often wrote each other letters that Paul suffers much from his wife. And as such a sincere man as "our Paul", could ugorazdit to marry such. Hortense was 19, and Cezanne 30 when they met and began to live together. This is after the death of her husband, Madame cézanne sell some of his paintings and be able to live on this money, nothing to worry and sometimes large sums by gambling it away in casinos. And while she was young, money was never enough. They raised the little boy huddling in a small room, and tried to survive for 200 francs, which were sent Cezanne father. Several years passed and they had almost ceased to live together, while retaining the complex, no clear communication.

Every time taking portrait of the wife, Cezanne's like Dating a new person. It is surprisingly not similar to itself from the neighboring portrait: she is a different face shape, different mood, age, and facial expression. But Hortense always recognizable and never alluring, as the wife of Renoirfor example, each of the portraits. Cezanne's wife is not flattered, he's not interested. Cezanne's wife is studying, like an Apple or like a mountain. Rilke, who visited the exhibition Cezanne in 1907, was watching the visitors and wrote to his wife: "But women feel so beautiful when they go past; (...) freeze for a moment near the "one of those touching conventional portraits of Madame Cezanne" don't look, but if you study this ugly painting, believing it only good for yourself".

Picture "Madame Cezanne in a yellow chair" - one of four in the so-called "cycle in the red dress". Anotheris kept in the Museum of the art Institute of Chicago second in Sao Paula, Brazil. And finally, the largest and most detailedthe version in the Metropolitan Museum in new York. And if not dress and hairstyle, it would be hard to guess in these four portraits of the same woman. Most likely, the three small paintings were sketches and warm-up, attempt to combine red color, yellow chairs, blue walls in the same space. Last, new York, coloristic complex, dizzying swaying in his term – more like Cezanne still life.

The artist Elizabeth Murray especially admired the final picture is "red dress" standing in front of her at the Metropolitan Museum: "She's actually not sitting in that chair, and sometimes it seems that the weight of two hundred pounds, or she suddenly turns into a hollow dress sticking out of his arms and head. It is impossible to say, she stands or sits so motionless figure, though inclined. The image embodied the uncertainty, the deliberate "nesochetanie" of all things... I mean that is a complex tangle: it is clear that Hortense is looking for her husband without contempt, but says, "you Old fool." And all of these emotions, existential angst, feelings on canvas".

Author: Anna Sidelnikova