Milk Jug and Spirit Stove

"Milk Jug and Spirit Stove" by Paul Cézanne French, 1839-1906, is an exemplary drawing that captures the structural rigor the artist brought to still life during a pivotal transitional phase, spanning 1879 to 1882. Executed in graphite on ivory wove paper, this intimate study showcases Cézanne’s foundational approach to isolating and defining objects. Rather than focusing on color or atmospheric effects, the French master uses line and tone to emphasize volume and mass, turning everyday domestic items—the rotund milk jug and the cylindrical spirit stove—into subjects of rigorous formal inquiry.

This period was critical as Cézanne moved away from the more fluid techniques of Impressionism toward the systematic construction of form that would define Post-Impressionism. His drawing technique, visible here in the careful application of parallel graphite hatching, models the surfaces and defines the planes, anticipating his famed quest to treat nature by "the cylinder, the sphere, the cone." The subtlety of the graphite allows the viewer to observe the preparatory logic underlying his most famous oil paintings.

Cézanne utilized drawing as an essential tool to clarify spatial relationships and explore the geometry of composition. The resulting work reveals the intensity with which he observed the relationship between the objects, the table surface, and the surrounding space. This important drawing is preserved within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a key example of the artist’s preparatory studies, the original work, or high-quality prints derived from it, remains invaluable for scholars examining the development of modern art, often being shared freely through public domain initiatives.