House in Provence, 1890–94

Paul Cézanne, French, 1839–1906

House in Provence, 1890–94

Watercolor and graphite on pale buff wove paper
The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, on long-term loan to the Princeton University Art Museum
photo: Bruce M. White

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A house among trees is one of the motifs to which Cézanne returned throughout his career, rendering it in both watercolor and oil. In this example, the trees frame the house in a way that is typical of landscape paintings. Such a device would normally underscore the house as the subject of the work. Here, the house is noticeably undefined, with just a few marks and splashes of color to suggest its architectural details. Cézanne effectively plays the large area of white paper visible in the house’s facade against a confusing tangle of graphite lines and color at its edges.