Cézanne, Paul (1839-1906)
Madame Cézanne au chapeau vert (Madame Cézanne with Green Hat)
1891–1892
Oil on canvas, 100.3 x 81.3 cm
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
Cézanne painted at least 29 portraits of his wife, Marie-Hortense Fiquet. Here she appears in a green upholstered chair with her forearm resting on the chair’s elongated arm. Although she is fashionably dressed, Marie-Hortense leans at a seemingly uncomfortable angle and presents a stern expression to the viewer. The thrust-out lower lip and blank stare contrast with her whimsical hat; its transparent brim reveals her forehead underneath. With its warped perspective and dour-looking sitter, Cézanne‘s canvas disrupts the conventions of female portraiture. (Barnes)
See also:
• Fiquet Cézanne, Marie-Hortense (1850-1922)