Portrait of Guillaumin with a Hanging Man

The artwork Portrait of Guillaumin with a Hanging Man by Paul Cézanne is a significant early example of the artist’s graphic practice, executed in 1873. This singular French work is classified as a print, combining the complex techniques of etching and drypoint. The drypoint process, characterized by rich, velvety burr created when a needle scratches directly into the copper plate, contrasts with the finer, thinner etched lines. This combination allowed Cézanne to explore textural depth and tonal intensity in his prints, providing an essential parallel to his concurrent developments in painting.

Created during the formative years leading up to the Impressionist exhibitions, this piece demonstrates Cézanne’s experimental approach to subject matter and representation. The primary focus is a portrait of the painter Armand Guillaumin, a contemporary of Cézanne, rendered with raw intensity and deep shadow work reminiscent of earlier realist traditions. The striking composition contrasts this straightforward portraiture with a darker, unsettling element referenced in the title: the small depiction of a hanging figure situated in the background. This macabre inclusion hints at the artist’s early engagement with psychological narratives, giving the work a complex dual nature that transcends simple likeness.

While Paul Cézanne is primarily known as a post-Impressionist painter, he created only a small number of fine art prints during his career, making this etching a particularly important document for understanding his mastery of various media. The piece is crucial for scholars studying the graphic experimentation occurring in French art during the 1870s. The work resides in the esteemed collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where this impression serves as a key reference point. Today, high-resolution reproductions of this historically important image are sometimes available in the public domain, but the physical impression remains vital to understanding the full nuance of Cézanne's early printed output.