The Card Players 1896

‘The Card Players’ (1894-95) belongs to a series of five oil paintings created by the French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) in the late stage of his career. This version is the best known and the smallest, measuring just 47.5 x 57 cm. It is believed to be the last of the five, and displays the simplest composition. It was also the version that was stolen from a French exhibition in August 1961! 😱 This painting depicts two men engaged in a card game. They sit opposite one another, embows resting on a wooden table. Their eyes are cast downward and they do not interact with the viewer; there is a sense of focus and concentration, as if they are completely absorbed in their activity. They wear the typical clothing of the French working-class – the artist modelled these two figures on the appearance of actual farmers, who worked on his family estate in Southeastern France. 🧑‍🌾 Card games were a popular subject in the Dutch Baroque tradition. These seventeenth-century paintings often emphasised the active drama of gambling. Here, however, Cézanne has subverted expectations. Stillness overwhelms the scene – such an impression of tension is at odds with past depictions. The art historian Richard Dorment even referred to this piece as a ‘human still life’! Cézanne, then, has treated a traditional subject with an air of modern experimentation. 🖼️ The artist has also made use of colour juxtaposition to suggest opposition between the two players. The jacket of the figure on the right is notably lighter in shade, while the left-hand side of the painting is more shadowed. The men are physically separated by the table and the bottle of wine which Cézanne has placed in the centre of the canvas. Not only does the bottle provide a sense of depth, but it acts as a reminder to the viewer of the setting of the scene in a traditional tavern. 🍻 In 2011, a version of ‘The Card Players’ was sold for $250 million. At the time, this was the highest sum paid for a single oil painting. Why do you think the work was deemed so valuable? 💰💭 Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham