Old tears in a 160-year-old painting gave way to a curious discovery. The Cincinnati Art Museum announced it a few days ago. It found the secret in a painting by Cézanne. The institution’s chief curator, Serena Urry, discovered it. She was examining the piece “Still Life with Bread and Eggs” (1865) for possible treatment and cleaning. Then she made an X-ray analysis. There the expert spotted a “well-defined” portrait underneath the painting.
Reusing materials
“I had a hunch,” Urry said in a press release. “Still Life with Bread and Eggs” was acquired by the museum in 1995 as part of a philanthropic gift. It is one of two works by Cézanne in its permanent collection. Now, notes the expert, “we go from having two Cézannes to three with this discovery.”
Cézanne is considered a leader of the post-impressionist movement. He is one of the most influential artists in the history of modern painting. “Still Life” he created when he was 20 years old. He was under the influence of Spanish Baroque painting and the realism of Gustave Courbet.
Later, the artist developed his modern style. He used brighter colors in thin layers to create optical “sensations”.
The museum staff notes that there are many questions surrounding the piece. They will have to investigate further to find out what happened. One of the theories could be that the author reused a canvas that already had a painting on it.
Theories
Another could be that an artistic experiment went wrong for him. Perhaps Cézanne was trying a technique in which he used a palette knife to apply color.
“We want to follow up in the coming months and years. We will have more images and analysis of the painting and research on the subject of portraiture. Ideally it will be in partnership with a well-equipped institution for technical study and with leading Cézanne scholars.” So said Peter Bell, curator of European paintings at the museum.
The secret in a Cézanne painting is still being revealed. “Still Life with Bread and Eggs,” executed in 1865, is one of the few works that Cézanne dated. The portrait, therefore, could be the artist’s earliest. In addition, several theories suggest that it could be a self-portrait.
