The Basket of Apples
1893
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
1893
oil
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
This painting shows a wobbly table with a tilted basket of apples. A wine bottle leans next to it. The fruit pile looks about to spill. Cezanne didn’t paint perfect still lifes. He stacked forms like building blocks. His brushstrokes feel thick in places. Shadows don’t match up right—he cared more about shape than smooth realism. Look at the tilted wine bottle. It’s the first Cezanne painting the Art Institute of Chicago ever bought.
