“Painting from nature is not copying the object,” Paul Cézanne wrote, “it is realizing one's sensations.” Still Life with Apples reflects this view and the artist's steady fascination with color, light, pictorial space, and how we see.
 
The still life also showcases Cézanne's subtle yet intricate brushwork – the objects seem to possess a sense of solidity, yet the boundaries between them aren't rigid, giving an impression of them being in a continuous visual dialogue. This technique dissolves the rigid separation between objects and space, contributing to the overall unity of the painting.