"Of an ordinary painter’s apple, you say ‘I could take a bite out of it.’ Of Cézanne’s apple, you say, ‘It’s beautiful.’ "
Paul Sérusier (painter and theorist)
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The French artist Paul Cézanne had a thing for fruit. Peaches and pears, and apples above all, starred in some of his most celebrated paintings.
Why was he particularly obsessed with apples? He admired their form and color, certainly. But there’s more to it than that…
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Paul Cézanne, "Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses", ca. 1890, oil on canvas, 28.75 x 36.375 in, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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In Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, Cézanne’s apple adoration is on full display. Two dozen colorful apples sit atop a wooden table, sharing space with a rumpled, white tablecloth and a blooming potted plant.
Cézanne worked slowly and methodically, applying layers of paint with heavy, visible brushstrokes. After placing the fruit and other items exactly where he wanted, he spent days sketching the scene to get it just right.
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Paul Cézanne, "Self-Portrait with Pink Background", ca. 1875, oil on canvas, 26 x 21.65 in, Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
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Though his props would rot away, the artist’s affection for the fruit endured thanks to a moving childhood experience.
Cézanne grew up in Aix-en-Provence, a city in southern France. He wasn’t particularly popular with his middle school peers who, like middle schoolers throughout history, could be horribly cruel. Still Cézanne, tall and big-boned, fared better than others in his class.
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Paul Cézanne, "Basket of Apples", ca. 1893, Art Institute of Chicago.
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One puny little thing, a half-Italian kid from Paris, was tormented because of his lisp. A group of bullies forbade anyone from speaking to or playing with the unfortunate boy. He was a 19th century social pariah.
Yet Cézanne was unfazed. He ignored the ban and struck up a conversation with his excluded classmate. The next day, the grateful boy appeared with a basket of apples to thank Cézanne for what he’d done.
The boy’s name? Émile Zola. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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 Of an ordinary painter’s apple, you say ‘I could take a bite out of it.’ Of Cézanne’s apple, you say, ‘It’s beautiful.’
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Paul Sérusier (painter and theorist) 
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Anonymous photograph of 22-year-old Emile Zola, 1862.
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Congratulations Ann (af****23@gmail.com)! You won two tickets to a museum exhibition of your choice.
Beginning Monday, the game begins again. Guess six works correctly in September to be entered to win.
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