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Paul Cézanne
Portrait of Gustave Geffroy 1895-96
Oil on canvas, 110 × 89 cm
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

The Portrait of Gustave Geffroy is a c.1895-96 painting by the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cézanne.

Gustave Geffroy was a French novelist and art critic, noted as one of the earliest historians of Impressionism.[1] In March 1894, Geffroy wrote a sympathetic article in his periodical Le Journal praising the work of painter Paul Cézanne, who until then had received little praise in critical circles.[2] Mutual friend Claude Monet arranged for a meeting between the two in November of that year, which ended abruptly due to Cézanne's oft-noted erratic behavior.[3] Nonetheless, Geffroy continued to write favorably of Cézanne, believing "He is a great teller of truth. Passionate and candid, silent and subtle, he will go to The Louvre."[4] Cézanne expressed thanks in letters to Geffroy in the months following their meeting, and, in a display of gratitude (and possible feeling Geffroy understood him), he elected to paint Geffroy's portrait.[2] The painter sent the critic a request in April 1895, after which Geffroy sat for Cézanne on a daily basis over a span of three months in the study at his home in Paris.[3] After the three months' time, Cézanne, disappointed with the portrait's results, fled both the painting and Paris itself for his home in Aix-en-Provence. In a July 6th letter to Monet, he explained, "I am a little upset at the meager result I obtained, especially after so many sittings and successive bursts of enthusiasm and despair."[5] It has also been speculated, despite his words of gratitude in the same letter to Monet of Geffroy's patience over the three month span, the artist had built up feelings of resentment, even hostility, toward the critic, causing his abandonment of the project for seclusion in Aix.[6] Reasons for the breakdown in relations on Cézanne's part have been attributed to everything from politics to artistic principles to religion.[2][7]

Despite its incomplete status, and Cézanne's own displeasure with the painting, Portrait of Gustave Geffroy was a popular retrospective work after Cézanne's death.[7] Cubist painters were interested in the geometrical dimensions of the bookcase and perspective of vast table space in relation to the rest of the picture.[7] Geffroy noted Cézanne painted the entire canvas at once, leaving the face and hands for last, and ultimately unfinished.[6][7] It has been described as an angular composition, with the figure of Geffroy centered as a pyramidal or triangular figure, and surrounding shelves, books, and figurines complementing and converging upon his profile.[8] The multiple angles of perspective, particularly with the books both in cases and on the table, have been noted for their "zig-zag" effect on the viewer, creating movement within the painting.[6]

Edgar Degas: Portrait of Duranty, 1879
Oil on canvas, 100.6 x 100.6 cm
Burrell Collection, Glasgow

The portrait has been noted as a continuation of Cézanne's recurring theme: people in their natural environment, reserved and unimposing, immersed in their everyday tasks.[9] It has also been compared to the earlier Portrait of Duranty by Edgar Degas, from which critics have speculated Cézanne drew inspiration.[6][7]

The painting was donated to the French state in 1969 by the family of collector Auguste Pellerin[10] and is displayed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.






References

  1. ^ "Geffroy, Gustave". Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved 2011-4-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c Newton, 41-42
  3. ^ a b Murphy, 100-01
  4. ^ Murphy, 163-64
  5. ^ Wadley, 103
  6. ^ a b c d Howard, 135
  7. ^ a b c d e "Paul Cézanne: Gustave Geffroy". Musée d'Orsay. 2006. Retrieved 2011-4-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Wadley, 59
  9. ^ Schapiro, 100
  10. ^ "Gustave Geffroy 1895-96". National Gallery of Australia. 2009. Retrieved 2011-4-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

Sources

  • Howard, Michael. Cézanne. New York: Gallery Books, 1990. ISBN 0-8317-2827-2
  • Murphy, Richard W. The World of Cézanne. New York: Time-Life Books, 1968.
  • Newton, Joy. Cézanne's Literary Incarnations. French Studies: A Quarterly Review 61.1 (2007), 36-46.
  • Schapiro, Meyer. Cézanne. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988. ISBN 0-8109-1043-8
  • Wadley, Nicholas. Cézanne and his art. New York: Galahad, 1975. ISBN 0-88365-248-X
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