House of Père Lacroix

1873

Paul Cezanne

Artist, French, 1839 - 1906

We look across a placid pond at sandstone-white buildings with brown and terracotta-red roofs nestled within a grove of green trees and plants in this vertical landscape painting. To our left, the brown roofs cover extensions to the main building, which has the terracotta roof. Between us and the buildings, the remains of a slate-gray wall are partially hidden by a vine or tree. The plants in front of the buildings are created with short daubs of yellow and green with touches of blue. The pond or other small body of water close to us spans the lower width of the canvas. The plants are reflected in the water's smooth surface. The trees to our right and behind the house have olive-green trunks stretching beyond the top edge of the composition. Their leaves blend together to fill the space next to and behind the house with a patchwork of shades of emerald, pine, and celery green. These greens are layered with short, angled strokes over smoother patches, and they fill the upper third of the composition. Patches of orange and a slice of azure-blue sky are visible among the leaves on the left side over the brown roofs. The artist has signed and dated the painting in the lower left corner, “P. Cezanne 73.”

Media Options

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To brighten Cézanne's dark palette knife, his friend Camille Pissarro told him, "Never paint except with the three primary colors. . . . " The bright hues and quickly worked brushstrokes reveal here the effect of Pissarro's influence. Greens and yellows contrast in the foreground, and multihued vertical drags of the brush re–create watery reflections. Cool shadows contrast with the orange of a tiled roof. Light emphasizes the blond planes of the building, which is shaded with blues, greens, and mauves, and where broad strokes and heavier paint convey texture.

The elaborate signature and date are unusual in Cézanne's work. Perhaps he intended it for a patron or a public exhibition—at the urging of Pissarro, three of his works were included in the first impressionist show. In 1873 Cézanne moved to the village of Auvers, near Paris, where he painted this landscape. It was near Pissarro's home, and the two of them often painted side by side during 1873 and 1874. Auvers was also home to Dr. Gachet, a collector who would later care for the despairing Van Gogh. Cézanne may have hoped Gachet would purchase his work, which was ignored by the public. In the 1880s Cézanne returned to Provence in the south of France, and after inheriting his father's large estate in 1886, largely abandoned efforts to promote his work. He did not gain commercial success until he was in his 50s.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 82

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Chester Dale Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 61.3 x 50.6 cm (24 1/8 x 19 15/16 in.)
    framed: 83.2 x 71.7 cm (32 3/4 x 28 1/4 in.)

  • Accession

    1963.10.102

More About this Artwork

Article:  1874: The Birth of Impressionism

Discover how a landmark exhibition led to the birth of an influential movement.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Ambroise Vollard [1866-1939], Paris). (Bernheim-Jeune, Paris). Alphonse Kann [1870-1948], Saint Germain-en-Laye. Auguste Pellerin [1852-1929], Paris.[1] (Durand-Ruel, New York); sold 27 November 1937 to Chester Dale [1882-1962], New York;[2] bequest 1963 to NGA.
[1]This painting was not included in the 1926 Pellerin sale held in Paris. At his death in 1929 Pellerin's collection was inherited by his son and daughter, Jean-Victor Pellerin and Mme Réne Lecomte.
[2]According to Chester Dale papers in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.

2010

  • From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, January 2010-January 2012, unnumbered catalogue, pl. 28.

Bibliography

1936

  • Venturi, Lionello. Cezanne, son art, son oeuvre. 2 vols. Paris, 1936.

1942

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 67, repro.

1944

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1944: 67, repro.

1953

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1953: 77, repro.

1957

  • Shapley, Fern Rusk. Comparisons in Art: A Companion to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. London, 1957 (reprinted 1959): pl. 160.

1962

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. Treasures from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1962: 160, color repro.

1963

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 272, repro.

1965

  • Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Paintings & Sculpture of the French School in the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 116, repro.

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 25.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 18, repro.

1970

  • Orienti 1970, no.142.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 60, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 504, no. 750, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 80, repro.

1996

  • Rewald, John. The Paintings of Paul Cézanne: a catalogue raisonné. 2 vols. New York, 1996:no. 201, repro.

1997

  • Kelder, Diane. The Great Book of French Impressionism, 1997, no. 138, repro.

1998

  • Classic Cézanne. Exh. cat. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sidney, 1998: 48, fig. 19.

Inscriptions

lower left: P. Cezanne 73.

Wikidata ID

Q20188764

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