Boy in a Red Waistcoat

The pose recalls sixteenth-century Italian aristocratic portraits. Cézanne simultaneously divides the face and setting into colored planes. An older formal model becomes a basis for investigating form. Figure and space are assembled through areas of paint that remain independently visible.

A young face appears beneath a broad brown hat. Colored areas of cheek and forehead retain visible boundaries within the head.

A red waistcoat fills the torso. Its broad plane connects the head with the arms' positions.

One hand rests against the hip. The pose recalls the assured stance of older formal portraits.

A gray sleeve hangs downward. Separate strokes and color changes describe its volume.

The background breaks into angular planes. It is painted through the same color-based method as the figure.

Cézanne studied older painting and worked alongside the Impressionists. Both experiences appear in the chosen pose and its construction. The museum relates the unsettled angles to several viewpoints brought into a single portrait.