Can You Identify All These Cezanne Paintings?


Sameena Mughal

6 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons by Paul Cézanne

About This Quiz

Although he worked in a time when Impressionism was all the rage in Paris, Paul Cezanne saw himself as something else. He preferred to be more orderly in his approach to painting. The Impressionists worked in nature, but he preferred to work in a studio. Even the brush strokes he used were thought out. He wanted his paintings to have a more substantial look instead of light "impressions."

Cezanne developed his painting style after studying with Camille Pissarro and Vincent Van Gogh. After working with Pissarro, he used a vivid color palette. He refined his brush stroke style after his time with Van Gogh. Cezanne was creative in his use of perspective. These techniques stood out in his still lifes. In these paintings, he would lay out fruit and other objects in unusual ways and play with angles. All of it was meticulous and thought out.

His career spanned close to 40 years. In that time, he produced 900 oil paintings and 400 watercolors. He was so influential that even the master painter, Pablo Picasso, referred to him as his "one and only master" and the "father of us all."

When it comes to Cezanne, there's a lot to know. Answer our questions, and see how your Cezanne knowledge measures up! Enjoy!

Do you the name of this influential work?

"The Large Bathers" is the largest of Cezanne's paintings. His use of colors and shapes inspired other artists. English artist, Henry Moore, described seeing this painting for the first time as being a profound moment in his life.


Can you name this famous still life?

In "The Basket of Apples" and other paintings like it, Cezanne played with skewed perspective. He would use everyday objects like fruit and bowls and would display them in unusual angles.


What is the name of this realistic painting?

"The Card Players" is a series of five paintings of varying sizes. Cezanne painted this masterpiece within five years. The largest is about 4 1/2 by 6 feet, and the smallest is 1 1/2 by 2 feet.


This painting is considered one of Cezanne's masterpieces. Can you tell us the name?

This painting was one of a series of four paintings and two watercolors. It's considered one of Cezanne's masterpieces. The first owner of the painting, Claude Monet, called Cezanne, "the greatest of us all."


Do you know what this work of art is called?

The artist Gauguin so admired" Rideau, Cruchon, et Compotier" that he didn’t just buy it, he also put it in the background of one of his own paintings. This piece of art is thought to be the most expensive still life paintings ever sold at auction.


Can you tell us the title of this painting?

Cezanne would paint Mont Sainte-Victoire many times throughout his career. He even had a specific spot where he would paint it. This subject turned into a series of over two dozen paintings and watercolors.


This title has only one word. Can you guess what it is?

This painting depicts a wooded area near the artist's hometown of Aix-en-Provence. Cezanne painted it in the early 20th century. It is an oil on canvas currently located in the National Gallery of Canada.


Do you know this Cezanne?

This is another area closely situated to Cezanne's family home near Aix-en-Provence. He placed the bare and brightly lit trees against the background of the house. He painted two more paintings with this subject.


Hamlet anyone? Can you say the name?

This series was a definite departure from the landscapes and still lifes Cezanne had done previously. These pieces were darker and more grave. When he painted them, he had a preoccupation with death.


You have one in your house. Can you tell us the title?

Paul Cezanne was not a traditionally trained painter and was criticized for it. Because of this, he set a goal to "astonish Paris with an apple." He succeeded but managed to astonish with so much of his other work.


What is this one called?

Cezanne did over 30 self-portraits. They weren't just his personal documentation of 40 years of work. Art historians see this painting as a change in style, a new era in the artist's work.


Do you know who this is?

Victor Chocquet was a supporter of Impressionist art and friend to Renoir and Cezanne. He collected the work of both artists early on. They returned the favor by painting him more than once.


Can you give us the title of this Cezanne masterpiece?

Cezanne showed "The Fisherman" at the third Impressionist Exhibition in 1877. It is heavily influenced by Manet and Monet and their work from the 1860s. Hints of Venetian painting show up, too.


This scenic view is from which painting?

Cezanne painted "L'Estaque" many times. It was one of his favorite high views. He showed the changes in season, sunlight, and of the village using bold, warm reds and cool blues.


This serene scene has a name. Can you tell what it is?

Paul Cezanne painted the landscape of his home in Provence many times. Another subject he used in his paintings many times he used again in this oil painting: Mont Sainte-Victoire.


Do you know the title of this piece of art with the unusual center?

This painting is another example of Cezanne's play on perspective and how he experiments with it. He makes the centerpiece, the castle, appear far away and places the greenery more in the foreground.


This illustration of a mighty tree is called what?

"The Great Pine" started in France but made its way north - way north. During its travels, it went to a museum in Moscow. From there, it ended up in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.


Can you guess what the name of this fun painting is?

Cezanne grew up around carnivals and festivals in his hometown, so he had a familiarity with them. For this piece, he had his son pose for the Harlequin and made it a family affair.


Who is this portrait of?

For this oil on canvas portrait, Cezanne asked his art dealer, Ambroise Vollard, to pose for him. He was the first to paint him in 1899. Pablo Picasso went on to paint him 11 years after.


What did Cezanne call this piece?

"Avenue at Chantilly" was just one of many interpretations the master painted repeatedly. Like Mont Sainte-Victoire, he treated it slightly differently in each treatment of this motif.


Do you know the title of this woodland wonder?

In "Rocks in the Forest," Cezanne continues to play with perspective, this time with rocks. Art historians disagree over where this illustration was painted. Some say it's Provence, while others say Fontainebleau.


Can you name this piece for us?

As always, the artist plays with the positioning and proportion of objects. The title of the painting is "The Black Marble Clock," but that's not the center of the painting. Instead, the center is the giant, fish-looking shell.


What do you think the artist called this painting?

Art scholars have had their share of trouble dating and placing "Maincy Bridge." It is a fact that Cezanne lived in Melun where the bridge is found, but there is very little in the way of written record about it.


What's the name of this artwork with the split structure?

"The House with the Cracked Walls" is unique beyond the obvious reason. Cezanne usually painted sites outside his studio in his hometown several times. He only painted this one once.


What is this scene of tranquility known as?

"View of Auvers Sur Oise" was stolen from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 1999. Like the artist, this thief was a master. To this day, the thief and the masterpiece have never been located.


Do you know what this illustration is called?

The master painted "Woods with Millstone" in the late 19th century. This site is another one near his home in the South of France. It's notable how accurate he was depicting this place.


Cezanne's nature paintings are numerous. Which one is this?

The beauty of "Pines and Rocks" is that a few colors seem like many. In true master style, Cezanne was able to infuse violets, yellows and reds to a scene that looks mostly blue and green.


This mysterious castle is famous. Can you tell us the name?

After his move to Provence, Cezanne explored the pastoral area to find inspiring subjects to paint. One of the major ones he discovered was Chateau Noir. He painted it many times on site.


What is this brightly colored masterwork called?

Edouard Manet's Olympia inspired "A Modern Olympia." This was a strange choice because Manet's Olympia horrified the art community at the time. However, Cezanne took the theme to another level.


Can you tell us the name of this whirling countryside?

Cezanne ended up in the town of L'Estaque in 1870 after France went to war with Prussia. It's no surprise that the artist had no interest in fighting a war and avoided it. He painted "L'Estaque, Melting Snow" there.


Do you know what Cezanne called this spread?

Yet again, the master painter took an unusual approach to the still life. He completely covers the table. His skill is apparent in how all these objects have their own space, and it doesn't feel cluttered.


Can you tell us this painting's title?

"Orchard in Pontoise" reminds one of a country villa but is actually a suburb of Paris. This painting gives a real feeling of Impressionism with its vibrant green. Camille Pissarro painted a similar landscape, showing the winter.


What is the name of this composition?

Little is known about "Path at the Entrance to the Forest." It is similar in theme to "Dr. Gachet House" and the masterpiece, "Mont Saint-Victoire Seen from Bellevue" with a path as a focus of the art.


Can you tell us the title of this portrait?

"Man in a Blue Smock" sits in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The man in this composition is not a model. Rather, he is a worker as Cezanne preferred ordinary people to models.


Cezanne gave what title to this one?

The buildings of Provence were a favorite motif of Cezanne's. "Maison Maria with a View of Chateau Noir" was another landscape painting filled with familiar subjects. Still, no one knows who Maria was.


This is another picture set on the grounds of a chateau. What's its name?

Poplars was set near Pontoise. Although Cezanne was always inspired by nature, the tall trees intrigued him. Camille Pissarro painted in the same area, too.


Another one of many portraits. Do you know who it's of?

The man depicted here, Vallier, was Cezanne's gardener. It was one of his last paintings, but the frequent flecks of green give it an evergreen look, like Cezanne's approach to life.


What is the name of this muted scene?

You can find Cezanne's work all over the world. "Preparation for a Banquet" made its way to the other side of the globe. It now resides in the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo.


What is the name of this portrait featuring a demure lady?

The artist painted his wife, Hortense Fiquet, around 44 times. He met her in 1869 when she was an artist's model in Paris. These portraits evoke deeper emotions, especially this one.


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