Paul Cézanne

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) was born in Aix-en-Provence to a well-to-do banking family. At the instigation of his school friend, writer Emile Zola, and braving his father’s disapproval, Cézanne left his university studies in law and turned to art studies in Paris. His rejection at the Salon in 1863 was the first of many, so that Cézanne’s art career in Paris could be considered a stunning failure. While in Paris, however, Cézanne encountered the fresh palette and outdoor working methods of the Impressionists. The Impressionists can thus be seen as revolutionizing his art, but Cézanne pursued his own quite distinct approach to art, eventually moving back to the south of France and working in relative solitude there. Now closer to his family, he also became more serious about his Catholic faith. During his lifetime Cézanne received little public acclaim for his art, but he was increasingly admired as a master by contemporary artists and became very influential in the development of 20th-century art, especially Cubism. Picasso and Matisse are said to have referred to him as ‘the father of us all’.