In a previous post ‘In Praise of Madame Cézanne’, I said that I wondered what happened to her after the artist’s death – I’d heard that she took to gambling. Well, thanks to an excellent book, ‘Hidden in the Shadow of the Master’ by Ruth Butler, I found out more: she quickly got out of Aix and didn’t return, spent time in Swizerland which she had always loved, saw her son Paul marry and produce 4 grandchildren, sold her husband’s paintings – and yes, went to Monaco gambling on the proceeds. I think she’d earned them!
Hortense Fiquet came from a poor background and certainly had a difficult marriage with such a temperamental man; but she emerges as a fairly strong character who withstood his behaviour and the pressures of the Cézanne family.
She was a very patient person apparently – she sat for 28 paintings and over 50 drawings, a process with tried the patience of all his sitters. And at the beginning at least, there is evidence of the closeness of the relationship. I’m grateful to the book for showing me this lovely drawing of Hortense just after the birth of baby Paul. The artist has added a hortensia in her honour.
Madame Cézanne is one of the three women profiled in this book – the other two are Camille Doncieux who became Madame Monet and Rose Beuret who eventually – 2 weeks before her death – married August Rodin.
What lives they had.
All three were their husbands’ models and all had very difficult lives. In the early years, the Monets were so much in debt that they had to flee bailiffs over-night and often had no food. But Camille was a spirited lady – she loved clothes and found beautiful dresses to include in her husband’s portraits. Contemporary accounts tell us that she was a welcoming hostess and excellent mother, despite their poverty.
Sadly she died very young before her husband became so successful – and wealthy.
Rose Beuret supported Rodin loyally – cleaning, cooking, modelling, working in the studio on the sculptures, and earning money by sewing. Like the Cézannes they had happy years but as his fame grew, he increasingly left her at home, ashamed of her working-class background and lack of sophistication. Finally rich, he installed her in a château with a lovely park, while he took off with Camille Claudel, Gwen John and a host of other women. 
Ruth Butler’s research shows that Rose was hidden away from important guests and that visitors would assume she was a housekeeper. But she was jealous and did have blazing rows with Rodin – he apparently told Vita Sackville-West that she used to hit him. But as she sickened, he did make his will leaving everything to her – and finally married her, to her great joy, in the nick of time.
This is a fascinating book which tells us so much about these long-suffering women and also gives insights into the artists, the art-world and 19th century French society.
Ruth Butler is professor emerita from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her book is published by Yale University Press.
A portrait of Madame Cézanne is on view at the Musée Granet.
To view the book on amazon click the Amazon link below
To live with any artist is a test to strength of character, unfortunately we become very egocentric but the good part – we are passionate. Cheers