The Plate of Apples

The Plate of Apples from 1877, at the Art Institute of Chicago, was painted in the early years of Cézanne's transition from an Impressionist loose brushwork to the more structural, geological method of his maturity. The plate as a compositional element introduces a circular, flat object among the rounded volumes of the apples, creating the kind of formal counterpoint between different geometric types that interested him throughout his still-life career. The Art Institute holds an exceptional collection of Cézanne, including major works acquired through the enthusiasm of early twentieth-century American collectors who recognized his importance.

The white plate creates a central, neutral area around which the colored apples are arranged — its flatness contrasting with their roundness. The palette knife passages visible in some Cézanne works from this period give way here to his characteristic small, directional strokes.