Paul Cézanne hardly ever bothered to date (or even sign) his work, but we are able to approximate with Boy in the Red Vest because (1) this same young man sat for other Cézanne compositions in the early 1890s and (2) the interior here is that of his Paris studio in Rue d'Anjou. The identity of the sitter is a mystery, though he is dressed in an Italian costume here.
At this phase of his career, Cézanne had almost completely moved away from what he saw as the "unstructured" nature of Impressionism and was now concentrating instead on planes--big, colorful, intersecting, complementary compositional forms. Note here the numerous intersecting diagonals: the legs, the table, the curtain, the wall, the vest and the boy's pose. That right arm is way out of proportion, but! The overall composition is perfectly balanced because of it.
About the Theft:
At around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008, three thieves wearing dark clothing and ski masks entered the E. G. Bührle Collection on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland shortly before the facility was due to close for the day at 5:00 p.m. While one thief ordered visistors and staff, at gunpoint, to lay on the floor, the other two qucikly stripped four side-by-side Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings from a wall in the "Music Room." Law enforcement officials speculate that these canvases were not stolen "to order," due to the fact that they were hanging together when taken, and also because more valuable works are on display elsewhere in the Collection. $91K (US) in reward money leading to the return of these paintings is reported to be available.
Note: Anyone with information about this theft or the whereabouts of the paintings is asked to contact INTERPOL National Central Bureau Berne (ref.: IP/105/348270/GIS) and the INTERPOL General Secretariat (ref.: 2008/5583).