Portrait of Guillaumin with a Hanging Man

The Portrait of Guillaumin with a Hanging Man is an important early graphic work by Paul Cézanne, created in 1873. Classified as a print, this piece utilizes the techniques of etching and drypoint. The impression held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art is specifically a restrike from the second and final state, showcasing the intense, deliberate line quality characteristic of Cézanne’s short-lived experimentation with printmaking. This medium allowed the artist to explore a starker, more graphic approach than was typical of his heavily worked oil paintings of the period.

The composition functions primarily as a portrait of the artist’s friend and fellow painter, Armand Guillaumin. However, the titular "Hanging Man" introduces a disturbing complexity. This shadowy, background figure is thought to derive from Cézanne's earlier fascination with macabre and dramatic subjects, adding an element of psychological unease to the simple depiction of the subject. The juxtaposition of the two figures—one a clear portrait of a man, the other a dramatic motif—highlights the artist's willingness to challenge conventional portraiture styles and arrange elements formally within a restrictive frame.

As part of the esteemed collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this rare example demonstrates Cézanne’s early commitment to developing his unique formal language across different media. While the artist’s contributions to the field of prints were limited, works like this provide essential insight into his draftsmanship. Today, as many early prints and graphic works housed in major institutions are categorized as public domain materials, studies of Cézanne’s intricate technique are widely accessible to researchers and art enthusiasts alike.