Cézanne Portraits

A major new study of the portraiture of one of the most important artists of the nineteenth century

Paul C zanne (1839-1906) may be best known for his landscapes, but he also painted some 160 portraits throughout his exceptional career. This major work establishes portraiture as an essential practice for C zanne, from his earliest self-portraits in the 1860s; to his famous depictions of figures including his wife Hortense Fiquet, the writer Emile Zola, and the art dealer Ambroise Vollard; and concluding with a poignant series of portraits of his gardener Vallier, made shortly before C zanne's death.

Featured essays by leading experts explore the special pictorial and thematic characteristics of C zanne's portraits. The authors address the artist's creation of complementary pairs and multiple versions of the same subject, as well as the role of self-portraiture for C zanne. They investigate the chronological evolution of his portrait work, with an examination of the changes that occurred within his artistic style and method, and in his understanding of resemblance and identity. They also consider the extent to which particular sitters influenced the characteristics and development of C zanne's practice.

Beautifully illustrated with works of art drawn from public and private collections around the world, C zanne Portraits presents an astonishingly broad range of images that reveal the most personal and human qualities of this remarkable artist.

Published in association with the National Portrait Gallery, London

Author: John Elderfield
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 11/28/2017
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 4.45lbs
Size: 12.10h x 10.00w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780691177861


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 02/01/2018 pg. 100

About the Author
John Elderfield is chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art. His many books include De Kooningand Henri Matisse. He is currently the Allen R. Adler, Class of 1967, Distinguished Curator at the Princeton University Art Museum and lecturer in the Princeton University Department of Art and Archaeology. Mary Morton is curator and head of the Department of French Painting at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Her books include GustaveCaillebotte. Xavier Rey is director of collections at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. His books include Degas and the Nude. Jayne S. Warman is a director of the Cézanne online catalogue raisonné. Alex Danchev (1955-2016) was professor of international relations at the University of St. Andrews. His books include Cézanne and The Letters of Paul Cézanne.