Still Life with Carafe, Bottle, and Fruit, 1906

Cézanne used a distinctive palette for his watercolors, preferring a small number of favorite blues, greens, yellows, and violets. Sometimes these preferences are obscured because watercolor on paper is very sensitive to light, and the colors can fade over time. The Pearlman collection of Cézanne watercolors, however, is in particularly fine condition, with many examples that demonstrate the original tones of these delicate pigments. The emerald green used in this watercolor, for example, is an especially fugitive color that can fade to a dull tan. Here, the green washes remain remarkably bright and clear.