Where can I see this Cézanne painting?

Head of an Old Man is at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The museum holds works spanning Cézanne's entire career, from early to late.

What is Cézanne's dark period?

Cézanne's dark period (1860s) features Romantic-influenced work with dramatic tones before his later Post-Impressionist style. Cézanne was still developing his radical approach.

How big is this painting?

Head of an Old Man measures 51 x 48 cm (about 20 x 19 inches). It's a modest-sized portrait typical of Cézanne's early figure studies before he focused more on landscapes and still lifes.

Where Is Head of an Old Man? See It at Musée d'Orsay

Paul Cézanne composed this portrait around 1866, during what scholars call his "dark period." The work predates the radical landscapes and still lifes that would later influence Cubism and modern art. Here, the young Cézanne works in a Romantic idiom with darker tones and more dramatic handling than his mature Post-Impressionist style.

The portrait measures 51 x 48 cm and demonstrates Cézanne's early engagement with traditional portraiture before he developed his distinctive approach to form and color. His later work would break down objects into geometric planes, but this piece shows him still absorbing the lessons of the Old Masters and the Realist painters he admired.

The painting hangs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, which holds important examples from throughout Cézanne's career. For those interested in seeing how a radical artist developed, these early works provide essential context for understanding his later innovations.