Contents
Paul Cézanne
Reworking landscapes and still lifes into structures of colour that helped prepare the way for Cubism.
The Card Players · The Basket of Apples
- Born
- 19 January 1839
- Birthplace
- Aix-en-Provence, France
- Died
- 22 October 1906
More people
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French painter who repeatedly returned to apples, bathers and the landscape around Aix-en-Provence. His experiments with form and perspective became central to the development of modern art.
Early life
Aix and school friendship
Grew up in Aix-en-Provence and formed a youthful friendship with the future writer Émile Zola.
Choosing painting
Initially studied law before leaving for Paris to pursue art with his father’s eventual support.
Career
- 1861
Paris studies
Studied independently in Paris and visited the Louvre.
- 1870s
Working with Pissarro
Painting alongside Camille Pissarro helped lighten his palette and develop outdoor observation.
- 1874–1877
Impressionist exhibitions
Exhibited with the Impressionists before increasingly pursuing an independent path.
- 1895
Wider recognition
Ambroise Vollard’s solo exhibition introduced his work to a new generation of artists.
Selected work
The Card Players
A series depicting concentrated figures around a table.
The Basket of Apples
A still life whose tilted objects and table resist a single viewpoint.
Mont Sainte-Victoire
Repeated studies of the mountain near Aix.
The Large Bathers
A monumental arrangement of figures and landscape.
Beyond the studio
Family life
Hortense Fiquet, whom he married in 1886, frequently sat for his portraits; they had a son, Paul.
Working outdoors
Continued painting around Aix until his final illness in 1906.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Museum or specialist research ↗Photo: Unknown; Cézanne was born in 1839 and died in 1906. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
