The Hidden Meaning In Cézanne's Still Life

How do you describe a work of art?

With art terms, of course! We've heard your questions about works of art at Getty, and we're here to answer your Frequently Asked Art Questions (FAAQs).

Let's take a look at Paul Cezanne's Still Life with Apples, the perfect sculpture to describe with the art term, “still life.”

Watch the video, or read on below!

What Defines a Still Life?

A still life is a painting or photograph of an inanimate object. Fruit, freshly-caught fish, and a tea set are the subjects of some of the most famous of these works of art. It’s an art form that sounds simple, but let’s take a closer look at Still Life With Apples.

Notice Anything Interesting About the Table?

Where does it begin or end? It’s unclear, and that’s on purpose. Imagine you're painting a table. It stays still, but if you stand to the left, or move over to the right, you'll see it from different perspectives.

Cézanne painted these same objects—the green vase, the rum bottle, the ginger pot, and apples—over and over, from many perspectives, throughout the last 30 years of his life. He conjoined those perspectives in this painting to capture his lived experience of these objects over time.

“Painting from nature is not copying the object,” wrote Cézanne, “it is realizing one’s sensations.”

What Is The Purpose of Still Life?

What do you see and feel when you spend time looking at this painting? The term “still life” comes from the Dutch phrase “stilleven,” which means “quiet life.” It encourages the viewer to slow down and appreciate the details of the subject of a still life, or the paintings themselves.

Want to contemplate more still life? Check out more examples of still life art in Getty's Online Collection. Or, learn how to make your own still life.

What other art terms or paintings are you curious about? Let us know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or email us at stories@getty.edu.