Antoine Dominique Sauveur Aubert (born 1817), the Artist’s Uncle, as a Monk

Description

The Artist’s Uncle as a Monk confronts the viewer with a steady gaze and firmly folded arms. A pale hood and habit frame the dark beard, while a cross rests against the broad chest. Thick, emphatic paint gives the face and clothing a rugged physical presence.

Paul Cézanne made this portrait of Antoine Dominique Sauveur Aubert in 1866, during a series of sittings in which his uncle wore different costumes. The sitter was a bailiff rather than a monk. Here, costume becomes a vehicle for a powerful study of expression, contrast, and the weight of painted form.