Self-portrait with white turbaned (detail) 1882

Paul Cézanne painted this self-portrait, using oil on canvas, sometime in the late 19th century, during a period of significant social and artistic upheaval in France. Here, Cézanne gazes out at us, his eyes intense, framed by a ruddy beard and a simple white turban. The turban, an unexpected element, evokes both the exoticism of orientalist fantasies, and perhaps, a more personal, intimate space of domesticity. During this period, France was deeply entrenched in colonial exploits, shaping perceptions of the “other.” By adorning himself in a turban, Cézanne engages with, and perhaps complicates, these notions of identity. His gaze is direct, challenging us to meet his eye and to consider the complexities of representation. Cézanne once stated, "Painting is not about copying the object slavishly; it is about seizing a harmony among many relationships." With this work he encourages us to engage with how identity is performed, negotiated, and perceived, both by ourselves and by others.