Still Life with Teapot and Fruits, 1896 by Paul Gauguin

Still Life with Teapot and Fruits, 1896 by Paul Gauguin
Still Life with Teapot and Fruits, 1896 by Paul Gauguin

One of Gauguin's most treasured possessions was a painting by Paul Cezanne, Still Life with Compotier, which he emulates in this picture. Within a similarly compressed space, Gauguin substituted mangoes for Cezanne's apples and a Tahitian-style printed cloth for a French floral wallpaper design. One significant departure is the human figure at the upper right, glimpsed through a door or window.

The year after he completed this work, Gauguin's finances were so dire that he arranged for the sale of his prized Cezanne.