Paul Cezanne "The Card Players"
I find this week's painting interesting for a lot of reasons. A couple of artists, many years before, had selected this subject before Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) took it on in 1890. But Cezanne, now referred to as the Father of Modern Art, was to make his own, unique versions. He did five, plus many sketches and small studies of a couple of these men. This painting is the second in the series.
I think it is interesting to see what is NOT in the work: no females; no cups, glasses, bottles of drink; and no gambling money. Each character has his head down, so no verbal communication between them, as they wait for the next move. Although there are tobacco pipes available, only one is smoking, but no sign of puffs of smoke.
Cezanne did this painting between 1890 and 92. The structure of a painting was of prime importance so time was taken to arrange and position each object. Nothing was left to chance. The angle or tilt of everything has a purpose, and most especially the four pipes suspended on the wall rack. They break up the wall space, creating a visual circle around the figures.
Notice the depth of space (or lack thereof). Three good sized men are wedge onto a very small table that looks wider than deep. So from the front top of the table we move back a couple of feet, then the depth of the seated figure, and finally the depth of the standing man to the wall. What do you think? Do we have five feet of space here? I smile to myself that if Matisse had painted this scene, we would also see a doorway into another room, or a window looking out on the sea, or at the very least a bowl of gold fish on a wild patterned rug. But this is Cezanne: where composition is primary, construction almost minimal, with nothing to interfere with the quiet concentration of the game.
"The Card Players" was painted between 1890-1892. It is almost 26 inches by 32 inches and is part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.
I especially like this painting, maybe because of it's simplicity. It's a small table for three big men; hands are almost touching. Good friends, obviously, but seriously card players. I think the man on the right is wearing an unusual coat, with the large pleats down the back, but it certainly leads our eye to the center. The heavy draped fabric on the right seems unusual, but helps the composition. His palette always has calming, restful colors. I find the background very pleasing. The pipes are really an important and interesting addition. I give it a thumbs up!!!! (But then, I'm a card player too!!)
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