Portrait of Uncle Dominique 1866

This portrait of Uncle Dominique was painted by Paul Cézanne with oil on canvas. The most striking feature is the stern, downward gaze, heavy brows furrowed in concentrated intensity. This echoes the ancient Roman portraits, capturing a gravity and seriousness meant to convey authority. Think of the Roman busts, meant to embody gravitas. Here, Cezanne's uncle embodies a similar presence. The intense gaze is a visual echo of the psychological concept of the 'evil eye', a gaze believed to cause harm, a motif found across cultures from ancient Greece to modern-day Italy. Yet, it's not malevolent here. Instead, the gaze seems inward, burdened by thought. The weight of tradition is evident, an echo of ancestral memory. The artist uses this motif not to scare, but to engage us on a deeper level, tapping into our collective understanding of power, respect, and the burdens of thought. The symbolism moves through time, transforming yet retaining its core essence, to remind us that even in modernity, the echoes of the past resonate within us.