Madame Cézanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in the Conservatory

About this artwork

Paul Cézanne's *Madame Cézanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in the Conservatory* (1891) captures the artist's wife in a lush, glass-enclosed space filled with exotic plants, a motif reflecting the late 19th-century fascination with indoor gardens among the French bourgeoisie. Painted in oil on canvas—a medium Cézanne mastered to build volume through deliberate brushstrokes—this intimate portrait marks a pivotal moment in his Post-Impressionist evolution. By 1891, Cézanne had shifted from Impressionism's fleeting light toward solid, geometric forms, using modulated colors to construct depth and presence rather than mere surface illusion. Hortense Fiquet, Cézanne's longtime companion and mother of his son, posed for him over 30 times, allowing him to explore human form as a landscape of planes and curves. Here, her poised figure amid verdant foliage exemplifies his revolutionary approach: faces and bodies emerge through constructive brushwork, prefiguring Cubism's innovations. Acquired through the bequest of Stephen C. Clark in 1960, this work resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings collection, underscoring Cézanne's enduring influence as a bridge between 19th-century tradition and modern abstraction. (198 words)