Paul Cezanne painted a beautiful piece in 1892 called “The Card Players”. Featured in the painting are three men playing cards around a table as two people watch from the back. The background is very simplistic as there is only a curtain, pipes, frame and a vase on the wall. The players slouch over the table as they are staring at their hand of cards. The two men in the back also have slouched, relaxed postures. Instead of looking at a hand of cards, the men in the back are staring at the game being played since they are not participating. The table around which the men are sitting has one empty side that faces the viewer. Placement of the figures creates triangles in the painting which is a common art element used to create a focal point. Cezanne uses the postures of the people, their gaze, colors, and the players’ and table’s positions to make the viewer engage in the painting.

The different colors and brightness affect the focal point of this painting as they do in the painting “Las Meninas”. Painters use colors and variations of brightness to direct a viewer’s eyes to a specific place. Cezanne chose to use variations of brown, blue, and black in his painting to accentuate the man in the center as well as the table painted in off white. The brightness of the man and the table create a focal point in this painting. In comparison, the mirror and the girl in “Las Meninas” were painted in lighter colors or were in the brightest part of the painting to draw the viewers eye to them. The colors used are not the only thing making the man in the middle the focal point. By using the edge of the table and the men’s arm positions, a triangle is created. In art, triangles are used to draw a viewer’s eyes to a specific point, in this case being the man in the center. This is done by creating a triangle that is not equilateral, which causes attention to be drawn to the uneven side. Using the triangle technique alone is not always sufficient so, Cezanne strengthens the focal point by painting the man in a lighter color. The eye is also drawn to the side of the table facing the audience because it is lightly colored and bright. The empty side of the table that can be seen makes the viewer participate in the painting as it creates a gap at the table. The empty side of the table is meant for the spectator to participate in the painting as they take the empty spot at the table. Everyone is engaged in playing or watching the card game, so the spectator will want to join in as well. As the spectator sits across from the man in white, he is the logical focal point if the viewer was also playing the game. When sitting at a table people tend to look at those across from them. Cezanne purposefully put the empty side of the table across from the lighter dressed man so, the viewer would be engaged in the painting as if they were sitting across from the man at the empty table spot as they play the game.

Every man in the painting, including those in the back, has a slouched, relaxed posture which contributes to the mood, as well as engages the viewer in the painting. In group settings people tend to imitate each other in their movements. As a viewer, the painting makes you slouch over to see what is happening on the table and peer in to participate. Cezanne uses the structure of the card players to make the viewer participate in the painting by influencing them to imitate others. “Las Meninas” uses the same technique to influence the viewer. In “Las Meninas” the viewer takes the character of the king and queen that is reflected in the mirror. The posture of the king and queen in the mirror makes the viewer imitate them as the viewer is the king/queen. Cezanne creates a relaxed mood by having the people slouch. The postures in “Las Meninas” are straight and uptight creating a more serious mood and proper setting. The relaxing mood shows that the card game is not being played for money but rather just for fun. Since it is relaxed and for fun the people are most likely friends or family who are enjoying some time away from their responsibilities. When friends get together no one wants to be left out, they want to be a part of whatever is happening. This want for being included helps bring the spectator into the painting and make them participate. As the spectator has their own spot at the table they will participate in the painting and be involved in the friend group as they play cards so they will not be missing out.

Foucault in his own writing points out that the painter’s gaze stares right at the spectator. This creates the feeling that the painter is looking at the spectator and painting them which makes them participate in the painting. Similar to “Las Meninas”, Cezanne’s painting uses people’s gazes to include the spectator in the painting. The three men around the table are focused on the cards in their hand as they are most likely planning their next move. The two men in the background stare on very sharply. When everyone is focused on one main thing, it makes the people around want to know what is going on which causes them to stare at the same thing. Cezanne uses the gazes of the players as a tactic to get the spectator to gaze onto the game being played so they are involved. Cezanne uses people’s gazes to make the spectator participate by making them involved in the card game as the “Las Meninas” painting makes the spectator participate by making them what the painter stares at and paints on the canvas. 

Cezanne engages and makes the viewer participate in the image by using postures, gazes, colors, and placement of certain things. When all those things are combined together in this painting, the viewer is involved in the card game as they sit at the empty side of the table. The comparison between “Las Meninas” and “The Card Players” shows that skilled artists use similar techniques to make the viewer participate in a painting.