Paul Cézanne
French, 1839­1906
Three Skulls
1902­06
Watercolor, with graphite, and touches of gouache, 
on ivory wove paper
48 x 62.8 cm
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection, 1954.183

These skulls, painted during the last four years of the artist’s life, are like ghosts, created from nothing but lines and the white of the paper showing through. The colorful Oriental carpet underneath accentuates the whiteness of the skulls. 

At first glance, the skulls and the carpet look very different. We think of the skulls as hard, and the carpet as soft. Yet, they share the same curves and patterns. Do the skulls look scary? If not, why not?