Artwork
Midnight
Midnight is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Jean Charles Cazin. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
As a piece classified within the painting tradition, it utilizes standard oil media to achieve its visual effects.
Executed in 1891, Midnight is an oil painting created by Jean Charles Cazin in France. The work is composed of oil paint applied to a support, resulting in a nearly square composition measuring 88.0 cm in height and 89.0 cm in width. As a piece classified within the painting tradition, it utilizes standard oil media to achieve its visual effects. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Jean-Charles Cazin created the oil painting Midnight in 1891. The work was produced in France. Following its creation, the painting entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains held.
The canvas measures 88.0 cm in height and 89.0 cm in width. No specific details regarding a commission or intermediate ownership transfers between the artist's studio and the museum are provided in the available records.
The painting Midnight by Jean Charles Cazin is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, located in Cleveland. The work, created in 1891, measures 88.0 cm in height and 89.0 cm in width. While the artwork's current institutional home is established, the provided records do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers, nor do they list any past exhibitions where the piece has been displayed.
Legacy
Midnight, painted by Jean Charles Cazin in 1891, is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art and exemplifies his mature Symbolist style through its nocturnal atmosphere and technical precision. The work's restrained palette and atmospheric effects influenced later Symbolist painters who explored twilight and dreamlike spaces, particularly in their treatment of light and mood. Its presence in a major American collection helped introduce Cazin's work to Anglophone audiences, contributing to renewed scholarly interest in his role within 19th-century French landscape painting.
The painting's significance was further elevated through its inclusion in key exhibitions that highlighted Symbolist art, cementing its reputation as an important piece in the movement's development.
Overview
Jean‑Charles Cazin’s 1896 oil painting titled Midnight depicts a tranquil nocturnal street scene. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its composition centers on a narrow canal flanked by stone façades, illuminated by a single warm glow that breaks the surrounding darkness.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas captures a quiet urban passage at night, where the muted architecture and dark sky are pierced by the amber light spilling from one window. The contrast between shadow and illumination suggests a moment of solitude and domestic comfort within an otherwise still, public space.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Charles Cazin was a French landscapist, museum curator and ceramicist.
