About the Artist
Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), a key figure in modern painting and a Post-Impressionist pioneer, greatly influenced Cubists, Fauves, and other avant-garde artists with his innovative use of color and analytical approach to nature. Beginning his career in Aix-en-Provence, Cézanne’s early works featured dark tones and dramatic contrasts, inspired by Eugène Delacroix. His later shift to brighter tones and plein-air painting, encouraged by Camille Pissarro, marked a departure from his earlier style.
Cézanne’s still lifes, such as Still Life with Jar, Cup, and Apples (1877), showcase his technique of “constructive brushstrokes” to build form through subtle tonal variations, challenging classical perspective. His landscapes, including Mont Sainte-Victoire and The Gulf of Marseille, employed layered horizontal planes and geometric patterns, paving the way for Cubism.
By the 1890s, Cézanne’s The Card Players series celebrated the dignity of rural laborers with refined color gradations and three-dimensionality. His first solo exhibition in 1895, organized by Ambroise Vollard, cemented his reputation, despite initial skepticism. Posthumous exhibitions in 1907 solidified his legacy as a foundational figure in modern art.
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