Two Vases of Flowers 1877

Paul Cézanne’s "Two Vases of Flowers," is an oil on canvas painting that presents an assembly of dense floral arrangements in two vases. The composition is tightly packed, almost claustrophobic, filled with a variety of flowers rendered in thick, expressive brushstrokes. Cézanne manipulates the interplay between flatness and depth. The vases, although seemingly three-dimensional, are integrated into the planar surface of the painting through Cézanne’s reduction of form to geometric equivalents. This technique flattens the pictorial space, challenging traditional perspective and highlighting the painting’s surface. He destabilizes established notions of representation, prompting viewers to reconsider how objects are perceived and depicted. Notice how Cézanne’s structural use of colour and form challenges the conventional still life, inviting us to think about the relationship between art, perception, and reality.