Although Paul Cezanne is considered one of the preeminent still-life painters in the history of Western art, his contribution to the genre of flower painting is neither widely known nor sufficiently appreciated. Yet, in spite of their critical neglect today, Cezanne’s floral still lifes were highly regarded during the painter’s lifetime. In fact, he included three floral compositions in the first major exhibition of his work, held in the central gallery of the Impressionist exhibition of 1877. The Art Institute’s Vase of Tulips, made more than a decade later, was probably bought, shortly after it was made, by Victor Choquet, the first and greatest nineteenth-century collector of Cezanne’s work. Cezanne painted two versions of this still life about 1890 (the other, larger in size, is currently in the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena). In both, a simple bouquet of tulips, narcissus, buttercups, and other flowers is placed in an ordinary pot in the center of the picture. Cezanne destabilized the composition with an asymmetrical positioning of the table and the fruits. These elements interact in the bottom half of the composition, while the flowers and greenery compete for attention in the upper half.

Unlike most flower painters in the history of art, Cezanne was not interested in the fragile sensuality of flowers. His choice here of tulips — strong, spiky flowers with hard petals and firm leaves — differentiates this painting from the more sensual or decorative Romantic and Impressionist floral still lifes representing sunflowers, chrysanthemums, daffodils, irises, or dahlias. And, yet, the inclusion of the more fragile buttercups and narcissus not only provides a contrast of color, but also a quality of delicacy and fragility. Interestingly, Cezanne focused his most concerted attention on the painting of the lower left corner of this composition; even a cursory examination of the surface reveals that he had originally included at least three more pieces of fruit in the void between the vase and the two oranges at the lower left.