The Vase of Tulips

Cezanne painted The Vase of Tulips around 1890 at his family home, the Jas de Bouffan, near Aix-en-Provence. He was in his early 50s and had been living in Provence for most of the previous decade, painting the landscapes and still lifes that would establish his reputation. A green stoneware vase sits on a small table, filled with red tulips. The flowers are painted in thick strokes of red and pink, their stems trailing into the vase. Three apples sit on the table beside the vase. The table is covered with a white cloth. The background is a field of blue and grey brushwork, with no spatial depth. The canvas is small, roughly 23 by 16 inches, portrait format. The colors are muted: the green of the vase, the red of the tulips, the yellow of the apples, the blue of the background. Cezanne painted a pair of tulip paintings at the Jas de Bouffan. This one is in the Art Institute of Chicago. The other, slightly larger, is in the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. Both show the same vase, the same table, and the same red tulips. The Chicago version is more finished, with the flowers and fruit built in thick, layered strokes. Cezanne had been painting still lifes since the 1870s. By 1890 he was producing them at a steady rate, along with landscapes and portraits. His still lifes are built from simple objects: apples, vases, tablecloths, skulls. He painted them slowly, over weeks or months, adjusting the composition as he went. The Vase of Tulips is a typical example: the objects are ordinary, but the painting is dense and deliberate. Oil on canvas, 59.6 by 42.3 centimeters. Cezanne painted with a restricted palette of reds, greens, blues, and yellows, building each object in patches of color. The tulips are thick dabs of red and pink. The vase is a solid green form, with no gloss or reflection. The background is a field of blue and grey, with the brushwork visible. This painting works in a kitchen, dining room, or bedroom. The warm reds and greens suit a room with natural light, plants, or floral accents. The 11x14 framed version in a white frame is the most versatile size. The painting is in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection. This is a public domain artwork, sourced from Wikimedia Commons. We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 24x36 inches, framed or unframed. The image is printed at full resolution with no cropping.