Jeune Fille au piano

This intimate domestic scene captures a moment of everyday bourgeois life in 19th century France. A young woman sits at the piano, absorbed in her music, while another woman in black sits nearby with needlework in her lap. The ornate furniture and decorative wallpaper tell us this is a comfortable, respectable home where young ladies practiced the accomplishments expected of their social class.

Cézanne painted this scene around 1869, relatively early in his career before he developed the revolutionary style that would make him famous. You can already see him playing with bold brushstrokes and a somewhat flattened perspective that hints at his future innovations. The painting feels a bit stiff and formal, which actually suits the subject perfectly. These women aren't putting on a performance; they're simply passing time in the parlor, engaged in the quiet activities that filled many afternoons in well-to-do households of the era.