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The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Pigeon Tower at Bellevue
Description
Paul Cezanne painted this composition in three horizontal planes: the azure blue of the sky; the luminous white of the tower and the farmyard buildings; and the burnt-orange shade of the foreground earth, whose color is indicative of the iron-rich soil of Provence. The shimmering greens of Cezanne’s favorite cypress and olive trees are interspersed across the middle ground. The composition is pared down to its essentials, devoid of extraneous detail; it exemplifies his ambition “to make something solid and enduring, like the art in museums.”
Provenance
Maxime Conil [1822- ?] Aix en Provence, France, brother-in-law of the artist, sold to Ambroise Vollard, December 18, 1899; (Ambroise Vollard, Paris, France, January 25, 1922, sold to Ralph M. Coe); Ralph M. Coe [1882-1959], Cleveland, OH; Mrs. Ralph M. Coe [1891-1966], Cleveland, OH, November 7, 1935, to Knoedler & Co.for sale; (Knoedler & Co., New York, NY, January 6, 1936, work returned to Mr. Ralph M. Coe); Mr. Ralph M. Coe, Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Dimensions
65.6 × 81.5 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1936.19
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Paul Cezanne (French, 1839–1906)
Modern European Painting and Sculpture • France, 19th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery