Study for L'Autopsie

Study for L’Autopsie is a profound and unsettling drawing created by Paul Cézanne French, 1839-1906, between 1867 and 1869. This challenging subject matter aligns with a phase of intense, often dramatic exploration for the artist, preceding his revolutionary move toward Impressionism. The drawing is executed meticulously in black chalk with extensive stumping applied to tan laid paper, demonstrating Cézanne’s early commitment to achieving deep tonal contrasts and a sculptural sense of form. The specific technique of stumping, which allows the artist to blend and soften the chalk, emphasizes heavy shadow and volume, lending a raw, immediate energy characteristic of his initial career in France.

The somber subject matter depicts a dissection or medical procedure, connecting the work to the fascination with mortality and stark realism prevalent in 19th-century European art. The compositional structure, focusing tightly on the figures crowded around the cadaver, heightens the intensity of the scene. The preparatory nature of the work suggests its intended function as a study for a potentially larger, though perhaps unfinished, painting exploring similar dramatic themes.

This significant drawing provides crucial insight into the formative years of one of modern art’s most influential figures. It shows the rigorous preparatory process the artist undertook before his famed later experiments in color and plane. Today, the work is housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, serving as a key document of Cézanne’s development. Such important preliminary pieces, frequently made available for scholarly reference or as high-quality prints, confirm the French master’s early willingness to confront challenging emotional and visual themes.