The artwork I have chosen which has informed my project entitled ‘Now’ is, ‘The Card Players’ by Paul Cézanne.
What is it? The Card Players is a famous oil painting by Paul Cézanne, who was a renowned post-impressionist French artist. The painting was made in 1894 and it depicts typical Provencal peasants that were immersed in their mundane activities as they smoked their pipes and played cards. This is one of five pictures Cezanne painted of card-playing peasants and is the most well-known.
While I would love to discuss who looks more intensely concerned with the outcome of the Game, I must describe to you how it has influenced my work. One of the main reasons I have chosen this particular artwork is because of its skewed composition, something which Cezanne is often noted for. The table in the centre of the painting is not straight, it is more skewed. This led me to question why did Cezanne not paint the table straight? Was it a mistake? Of course not… Cézanne was a Post-Impressionist making his mark in the painting, showing us that he’s not trying to achieve an exact replica of what he saw in front of him. The subtle shift in perspective gives the painting a sense of unreality in spite of the solidity of the figures within it. I wanted to explore this sense of unreality in my artwork so I tried to incorporate it into some of my ideas. One of my ideas was to create a sculpture of the room I’m in ‘Now’ (i.e. the Present moment) and recreate a snapshot of the room as it stands fit. I thought about how I could recreate an altered perception of reality within the sculpture and concluded with making a Lego themed sculpture using Plasticine. Far-Fetched? Perhaps however, Paul Cézanne was known for his unconventional style, always pushing to expand the viewer’s experience of conventional subjects and I think my work supports this idea.
What are the colours used? Cézanne makes use of warm and cold colours in this painting. He subtly contrasts violet against yellow, but both are neutralized. In the left figure a violet jacket contrasts yellow pants while the right figure contrasts a yellow jacket and violet pants. The latter is therefore more strongly contrasted with his surroundings in colour as well as form. Ha-just trying to beef up this essay sorry hey
What process is used to make it? Firstly this is an oil on canvas painting. Somers (14/08/12) writes “the under-drawing is a major feature of the work” when describing Cezannes art process. The drawing does not need to be perfect but a decent under-drawing will guide your proportions as you begin to add more detail. Next Cezanne might colour block the shadows meaning Cezanne would colour in the main shadows with the same paint as the under painting. The shadows will become more subtle as the painting progresses and will help structure the image. A key feature of Cézanne’s work is an overall warmth and The Card players is no exception with lots of browns and reds dominating the image the blues are even delicate and purplish. It is clear that Cezanne is building up the image in layers of hot and cold over the top of each other. Cézanne would use a small and stiff paintbrush and rub paint in roughly to the canvas, the effect this gives is an overemphasis of texture as seen clearly in the men’s coats. Cézanne treated form uniquely through built up shapes and was highly analytical of his subjects and perceived them as different shapes that could be placed together to make an overall form.
Why was it made? It was painted as part of a series of five in which Cézanne painted peasant card players. Cézanne's portraits have been noted for their lack of drama and narrative so maybe he was just showcasing his skill. Near the end of his life Cezanne told an art critic “One does not put oneself in place of the past, one only adds a new link.” In other words, through his art he wanted to engage with art history but also to modify it and take it in a new direction. Cézanne went on to influence art movements such as Cubism through his unique use of perspective, introducing ideas such as looking at objects from multiple perspectives at the same time. This is something which I have tried to incorporate into my project entitled ‘Now’. I set up a camera and filmed a short clip of me moving from one side of the frame to the other and merged the entire scene into one picture, this process is called ‘Roto-scoping’ and was made using the computer program Adobe Premiere. In essence I am combining multiple perspectives collectively as one still image.
Where do you think it might be now? Well personally I think it could be anywhere in the world due to its worldwide recognition. One version of The Card Players was sold in 2011 to the Royal Family of Qatar for a price variously estimated at between $250 million and $300 million . Undoubtedly it is in the hands of a very wealthy person.
What does it mean? I think this painting is an honest depiction of the casual life of a Parisian peasant. The card players does not seem to have much allegorical context but I do not think this deducts from the original painting. Certainly Cezanne enjoyed painting these momentary scenes of recreation as he created five different versions of the painting. Paul Cézanne’s paintings where for a long time misunderstood and even deemed undesirable, it was only later in his life that people saw greatness in the shy Parisian man. Perhaps Paul Cézanne’s uncouth and unorthodox style of painting was allegory in itself, heavily influencing famous painters such as Pablo Picasso and more abstract styles of painting such as cubism. While being a leading figure in the impressionist and post-impressionist movements, Cézanne had a profound influence on the course of modern art and furthermore on a more tangible level, my Art project as a whole.