Houses in Provence: The Riaux Valley near L'Estaque
c. 1883
Artist, French, 1839 - 1906
Cezanne was deeply attached to Provence, the region in southern France where he was born and raised. He often painted its sundrenched terrain. Here Cezanne depicts a mas, a traditional Provençal farmhouse with bright yellow walls and a red tiled roof. Its architecture is solid and imposing. In contrast, he suggests the surrounding landscape with short strokes of paint applied diagonally from left to right. These directional brushstrokes lead the eye up and across the canvas, creating a sense of movement. This allows Cezanne to establish depth purely through color rather than relying on light and shadow.
West Building Main Floor, Gallery 84
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on canvas
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Credit Line
-
Dimensions
overall: 65 x 81.3 cm (25 9/16 x 32 in.)
framed: 84.4 x 100.3 x 5.7 cm (33 1/4 x 39 1/2 x 2 1/4 in.) -
Accession
1973.68.1
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Probably acquired through (Ambroise Vollard [1867-1939], Paris) by Egisto Fabbri [1866-1933], Florence, by 1920;[1] by whom sold c. 1928 to (Paul Rosenberg et Cie., Paris).[2] Marius de Zayas [1880-1961], and his wife Virginia Harrison, New York, by c. 1930; by inheritance to his wife; (Zayas sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 14 October 1965, no. 92); Mr. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA; gift 1973 to NGA.
[1]Published in article on Fabbri collection in Daedalo, 1920. [2]See John Rewald, The Paintings of Paul Cézanne: a Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1996, no. 438, regarding the dispersal of the Fabbri collection.
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1920
Esposizione Internationale Biennale d'Arte (Mostra Individuale de P. Cézanne, Venice, 1920, no. 11
Probably Paintings and Drawings by Representative Modern Masters, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, no. 57
1937
French Painting, Marie Harriman Gallery, New York, 1937, no. 2
1950
The 19th Century Heritage, Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, 1950, no. 2, repro.
1952
Cézanne: Paintings, Watercolors & Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1952, no. 55, repro., as Houses at L'Estaque
1966
French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1966, no. 69, repro
1980
Post-Impressionism: Cross-Currents in European and American Painting 1880-1906, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980, no. 13, repro.
1981
Loan for display with permanent collection, Munch Museum, Oslo, 1981-1982.
1986
Gifts to the Nation: Selected Acquisitions from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1986, unnumbered checklist
1990
Cezanne and Poussin: The Classical Vision of Landscape, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1990, no. 33, repro.
Französische Impressionisten und ihre Wegbereiter aus der National Gallery of Art, Washington und dem Cincinnati Art Museum, Neue Pinakothek, Munich, 1990, no. 59, repro.
1992
From El Greco to Cézanne: Masterpieces of European Painting from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, National Gallery of Greece, Athens, 1992-1993, no. 61, repro.
1995
Cézanne, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Tate Gallery, London; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1995-1996, no. 71, repro.
1998
Cezanne and the Russian Avantgarde, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg; Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, 1998, no. 14, repro.
1999
Art Made Modern: Roger Fry's Vision of Art, The Courtauld Gallery, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, 1999-2000, no. 27, fig. 88.
2004
Cézanne: Aufbruch in die Moderne [Cézanne: The Dawn of Modern Art], Museum Folkwang, Essen, 2004-2005, unnumbered catalogue, repro.
2006
Cézanne in Provence, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2006, no. 47
2009
Cézanne and Beyond, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2009, pl. 125.
2013
Courbet/Cézanne, La vérité en peinture, Musée Gustave Courbet, Ornans, 2013, no. 42, repro.
Bibliography
1920
Henraux, Lucien. "Cézanne della Raccolta Fabbri." Dedalo 1 (June 1920): repro. p. 55.
1924
Henraux, Lucian. "Une grande collection de Cézanne en Italie. La Collection Egisto Fabbri." L'Amour de L'Art 5 (Nov. 1924):338, repro.
1936
Venturi, Lionello. Cezanne, son art, son oeuvre. 2 vols. Paris, 1936: no. 307, repro.
1966
Goldwater, Robert. "The Glory that was France." Art News 65 (March 1966): 85, repro.
1970
Orienti 1970, no.337.
1975
European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 64, repro.
1984
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 507, no. 751, color repro.
1985
European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 84, repro.
1990
Französische Impressionisten und ihre Wegbereiter aus der National Gallery of Art, Washington und dem Cincinnati Art Museum. Exh. cat. Neue Pinakothek, Munich, 1990: no. 59, repro.
1991
Kopper, Philip. America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation. New York, 1991: 277, 283, color repro.
1992
Naubert-Riser, Constance. Cézanne. London, 1992, 76, repro., as Houses in Provence (Vicinity of L'Estaque).
1996
Rewald, John. The Paintings of Paul Cézanne: a catalogue raisonné. 2 vols. New York, 1996:no. 438, repro.
1997
Kelder, Diane. The Great Book of French Impressionism, 1997, no. 361, repro.
Yamanashi, Toshio. Paul Cézanne, a la recherche de l'absolu, Japan, 1997, p. 70-71, repro.
2004
Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 391, no. 325, color repro.
2007
Bardazzi, Francesco, ed. Cézanne in Florence: Two Collectors and the 1910 Exhibition of Impressionism. Exh. cat. Palazzo Strozzi, Florence. Milan, 2007: 262 fig. 23.
Wikidata ID
Q20189631