Young Girl with a Doll 1902

Paul Cézanne made *Young Girl with a Doll* with oil on canvas, dimensions 92 by 73 cm, we don't know exactly when, but it is now kept in a private collection. Look how Cézanne’s brushstrokes build up the form of the girl with the doll. The paint is thin in places, thick in others, like he's trying to find the form. I can imagine Cézanne, in his studio, puzzling over the shapes, trying to get them just right. He lays down these planes of color, one next to the other, searching for the right tone, the right balance. The girl’s dress, a dark, moody gray-blue, contrasts with the peachy warmth of her skin. It reminds me a little of Morisot's dark colours and light skin. I imagine him thinking about her seriousness and her youth at the same time. It’s like he’s saying, "Hey, painting is thinking, is feeling, is living." He leaves so much unsaid, yet so much is communicated through the surface of the painting itself.