Author(s): Dita Amory

Art

Paul Cezanne's (1839--1906) portraits of Hortense Fiquet (1850--1922), his wife and the subject of some of his most iconic portraits, rank among the most powerful of their kind in French modernism. Yet, posterity has not been kind to Madame Cezanne. She was called a distraction, blamed for her husband's "lackluster" landscapes, and disdained for her impenetrable expression in the paintings. The reality is more complex, for while Fiquet may not have been the passion of Cezanne's lifetime, she was a willing accomplice, as model, mother of his only son, and unwavering partner against all odds. Madame Cezanne examines this unique relationship within the context of Cezanne as a painter, draftsman, and portraitist, and sheds light on the personal relationship between artist and muse. Featuring all 28 of Cezanne's oil portraits of Fiquet and most of the known drawings, Madame Cezanne both corrects, with insight and compassion, the long-held misconceptions about the Cezannes' unconventional marriage, and shows how Cezanne's portraits of his wife provide a lens through which to better understand his overall technique.