Hortense Fiquet (Madame Cézanne) Sewing

In this ambitious pencil drawing of his future wife, Cézanne explored the compositional possibilities of line and blank space. He laid in the figure with a combination of blocks of shading and blank areas. Daringly, the central section around the sitter’s hands is left bare. Although it is apparent that she is sewing, the viewer must complete the picture in the mind’s eye. Such engagement of the viewer is a vital element in Cézanne’s art.