Still Life with Plaster Cupid Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)

The composition presents a still life arrangement centered around a small, plaster statuette of a youthful figure. The subject is positioned on a tabletop surface that angles diagonally across the canvas, creating a sense of spatial recession. A collection of fruit – primarily peaches and what appear to be apricots or plums – is clustered in a shallow bowl at the lower left corner, adding a touch of vibrancy against the muted tones dominating the scene. To the right of the statuette, draped fabric cascades down, partially obscuring a dark, wooden structure that likely serves as part of a cabinet or table.
The artist’s handling of light and shadow is significant. A diffused illumination washes over the objects, softening their edges and creating a sense of atmospheric perspective. The plaster figure itself appears almost ghostly in its pallor, its form subtly modeled by the interplay of light and dark. This treatment lends it an air of melancholy or detachment.
The arrangement seems deliberately constructed to explore formal relationships rather than narrative content. The various elements – the statuette, fruit, fabric, and wooden structure – are not presented as a cohesive scene with a clear story but instead exist in a carefully orchestrated interplay of shapes, colors, and textures. The repetition of forms – the rounded curves of the fruit mirroring those of the figure’s body – contributes to this sense of formal unity.
The presence of the plaster Cupid introduces an element of classical allusion, yet its material – plaster rather than bronze or marble – suggests a fragility and impermanence that undermines any grand narrative associations. The muted color palette, predominantly grays, blues, and browns, reinforces this feeling of quiet contemplation and understated emotion. It is not a celebration of beauty but an observation of form and the passage of time.