Paul Cezanne

FRENCH PAINTER, a leading member of the Post-Impressionists. Born in Aix-en-Provence, the son of a banker, Cézanne’s prosperous background enabled him to endure the long struggle for recognition. He studied in Paris, where he met the future members of the Impressionist circle, although his own work at this time was full of violent, Romantic imagery Cézanne did not mix easily with the group; he was withdrawn, suspicious and prey to sudden rages. Gradually, with Pissarro’s encouragement, he tried plein-air painting and participated at two of the Impressionist exhibitions. But, in art as in life, Cezanne was a solitary figure and he soon found the principles of the movement too restricting.

After his father’s death in 1886, Cézanne returned to Aix, where he brought his style to maturity. His aim was to produce ‘constructions after nature’. He followed the Impressionist practice of painting outdoors but, instead of the transient effects which they sought, he tried to capture the underlying geometry of the natural world. This was to make him a fertile source of inspiration for the Cubists.

Excerpt from Art. The World of Art, from Aboriginal to American Pop, Renaissance Masters to Postmodernism.