NARRATOR:
Paul Cézanne often painted Jas-de-Bouffan, his family estate near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. This view from the mid-1880s beautifully illustrates his subtle approach to composition—on the left, the strong vertical accents of the chestnut trees in the center, the main living quarters stand tall with surrounding farmhouses set off by softly undulating branches above them. On the right, a single black tree trunk borders the picture. The lush grass and warm coloration of the trees suggest that it is spring.
The brushwork is light, with a perfect balance between straight and curving lines, between solid masses and soft, rustling greenery. An even, Mediterranean light casts a golden glow on trees and buildings. Notice how gleaming patches of unpainted canvas contradict the apparent progression of space, subtly revealing the painting as nothing but a flat surface covered with pigment.
Jas-de-Bouffan means “habitation of the winds” in the Provençal dialect. Cézanne’s father had purchased the estate in 1859, and the artist lived there until he was forced to sell it. Shortly after this picture was finished, Cézanne gave it to Fannie Toure, a former servant who loved to walk under the shady trees leading up to the house.
Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas de Bouffan
1884-1885
Paul Cézanne (French, 1839-1906)
On View
Painted as a gift to a household servant, this view of the Cézanne family estate outside Aix-en-Provence suggests its author’s deep connection to his birthplace and exhibits the increasingly abstract, analytical approach of his mature style. Note the short, parallel strokes that stand for leaves near the center of the composition and the spare, geometric rendering of the farmhouse itself. Rather than the family’s elegant residence, known as the Jas-de-Bouffan ("House of the Winds" in Provençal), Cézanne generally depicted the estate’s leafy grounds and modest outbuildings, including this one, which he may also have used as a studio.
Details
- Artist Name: Paul Cézanne (French, 1839-1906)
- Title: Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas de Bouffan
- Date: 1884-1885
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 1/8 x 28 11/16 in. (91.8 x 72.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1995.1.P
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
The artist, gift to;
Fannie Toure (a servant at Jas-de-Bouffan), until 1943 to;
Private Collection, Hyères (woman who cared for Mme. Toure in her old age);
?Private Collection, Paris.
Chadourne, Paris, sold 1 April 1950 to;
[Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, stock no. 5382-901, as Marronniers et Ferme du Jas de Bouffan, 1883-84, sold 7 May/1 October 1957 to];
Robert Ellis Simon, bequest 1969 to;
The Norton Simon Foundation, transferred 1995 to;
Norton Simon Art Foundation.
Fannie Toure (a servant at Jas-de-Bouffan), until 1943 to;
Private Collection, Hyères (woman who cared for Mme. Toure in her old age);
?Private Collection, Paris.
Chadourne, Paris, sold 1 April 1950 to;
[Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, stock no. 5382-901, as Marronniers et Ferme du Jas de Bouffan, 1883-84, sold 7 May/1 October 1957 to];
Robert Ellis Simon, bequest 1969 to;
The Norton Simon Foundation, transferred 1995 to;
Norton Simon Art Foundation.
[on loan]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1971-01 to
[on loan]
- Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1971-05 to 1972-10
Special Exhibition for the College Art Association (Mr. and Mrs. Norton Simon Collection)
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965-01-18 to 1965-04-16
Three Centuries of French Art: Selections from The Norton Simon, Inc. Museum of Art and The Norton Simon Foundation_1
- California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1973-05-03 to 1976-06-15
- Rewald, John, Cézanne, A Biography, p. 14
- Steadman, David W., The Connoisseur, p. 223
- Rewald, John, Cézanne, pl. 60
- Rewald, John, Cézanne and Zola, 1948,
- Rewald, John, Paul Cézanne: A Biography, 1948, pl. 60
- Auzas, P., Peinture de Cézanne, 1950, pl. XII
- Sargeant, W., Life, 1952, p. 83
- Venturi, Lionello, Commentari, 1965, pl. XIV, fig. 51 p. 47
- Orienti, S.; and G. Picon, Tout l'Oeuvre peint de Cézanne, 1975, p. 124
- Selected Paintings at the Norton Simon Museum Pasadena, California, 1980, p. 118
- The French Impressionists in Southern California: Paintings, Sculptures and Prints in Public Collections. A Guidebook and Catalogue, 1984,
- Rewald, John, Cézanne, A Biography, 1986, fig. 57
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 160
- Rewald, John, The Paintings of Paul Cézanne: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1996, no. 595 p. 198
- Brettell, Richard R. and Stephen F. Eisenman, Nineteenth-Century Art in the Norton Simon Museum, volume 1, 2006,
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 55 p. 251
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