Differences of Artist Style of Paul Cezanne and Gustave Courbet in Cezanne's Tulips in a Vase and Gustave's Vase of Lilacs, Roses, and Tulips

Paul Cezanne and Gustave Courbet are two of the most influential artist from the 19th Century. Particularly, Paul Cezanne showcases his post-impressionist style of painting through his 1889-90 oil on paper masterpiece, Tulips in a Vase. Meanwhile, Gustave Courbet highlights his realism techniques in one of his later paintings Vase of Lilacs, Roses, and Tulips. Although both paintings have obvious similarities, such as both consisting of a vase of flowers, it is the differences that truly help viewers understand the influence of these artistic techniques.

Tulips in a Vase and many of Cezanne’s work highly influenced artists such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso through his inspiration of cubism and abstract art. Tulips in a Vase, shows how his technique centered around manipulating his every day observations into geometric forms. Through this painting, it is clear that Cezanne was interested in the intuitive characteristics. For instance, bold brush stokes are used through Tulip in a vase, especially through his use of long, vertical lines that accentuate the stems of the tulips. Bold brush strokes was typical of Cezanne and through this signature characteristic, Cezanne’s goal is to keep the viewers eye to the surface of the painting, rather than into the space that the tulip should be inhabiting.

After observing the painting over and over again, I noticed that Cezanne used many colors in his fruits; one which we would not usually associate with a particular fruit. For example, the lemon has hints of green and even red paint which were most likely used for shadowing and defining the round or curve surface of the fruit. However, not all of the fruits are easily indefinable. This is one of the main characteristics of painting in impressionist style. Impressionist painters guide their viewers in a direction without establishing with absolution what they see. It is this experience that give viewers reason to engage in discussion and the variety of perspective on what they see.

As I admire the fruit and how it could have been composed, I imagine Cezanne using multiple layers of colors on top of one another while using short brush strokes, working toward the gal of giving the fruit the appearance of a round shape. His use of highlights and shadows is key to achieving a three-dimensional look. For instance, the fruit which would appear to be an apple has a dark circle with a touch of white surrounding it which gives the impression that it is the top of the apple. The use of a dark or black color creates a sense of volume. To make an object appear in the background, Cezanne makes the fruit in the front brighter than those in the back with darker shadowing and color. By being brighter, the front fruits appear to have the light directly hitting them. Additionally, using black paint, Cezanne creates darkened areas around the brighter fruit, creating an illusion of shadows.

In regards to the background, Cezanne uses similar colors used for the vase, leaves, and poppy flowers, however, the mixture of colors used on the background are lighter probably through the use of additional white. The background goes a long way in illustrating Cezann’es overall style. While observing the background, there are fast and spongtaneous brush strokes, overlapping colors but not necessarily blending which is common with other backgrounds. In some regards, it leaves the impression that the background is unfinished or abandoned. I can see how his style could be misunderstood. For years, Cezanne’s submissions were rejected by the Paris Salon.

Lastly, I observe his illustration of the table. There is a bold contrast with the rest of the colors in the painting, creating a visual separation between the table and the objects on the table. He also appears to trace a contour of the vase as well as place shadows on the wall to emphasize this illusion. Cezanne often painted in a very loose style and what makes his work remarkable is not how amazing the subject matter is, but his technique. As an impressionist painter, He is not replicating hyperrealism to create a recognizable subject. Rather, Cezanne used a multitude of colors, a variety of brush strokes, and focused on the way the light reflected off an object to create in the mind an impression that there are fruits in the painting.