Paul Cézanne: Still Life Specialist

Paul Cézanne’s works were not completely in line with common Impressionist painting techniques, nor can he be assigned to a single art epoch at all. His unparalleled way of creating form with the use of color, however, significantly influenced the art world.

Early Life

Born in Aix-en-Provence in 1839, Paul Cézanne discovered his passion for the arts in his early years. While still in primary school, he attended courses at a local drawing academy and subsequently embarked on a career as a painter but, due to the urging of his father, provisionally enrolled at a regional law school. However, in 1861, at the age of 22, Cézanne decided to move to Paris, where he spent hours at the Louvre copying old master paintings. He likewise replicated contemporary pieces at the Musée de Luxembourg, including, among others, the works of French Romance painter Eugène Delacroix. The themes to which he remained loyal throughout his career could already be recognized in his early works: still lifes, portraits, landscapes, and paintings with various figures.

Painting Career

Rejected by the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, Cézanne attended the Académie Suisse in the mid-1860s, where he socialized with like-minded artists such as Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edouard Manet. However, due to the outbreak of the Franco-German War, he was forced to leave the French capital in 1870 for Aix-en-Provence, where he continued painting. Back in Paris after the war, Cézanne participated in the first Impressionist exhibition of 1874. While his works on display were not completely in line with common Impressionist painting techniques (e.g., quick brushstrokes, blurred lines, or open-air painting), he eventually started working outdoors and exchanged his rather dark palette for brighter color tones. After his participation in various Impressionist exhibitions, he nevertheless withdrew from the movement three years later to pursue the development of his own independent style and technique.

After countless rejections in the years leading up to 1882, the official Salon de Paris finally accepted one of his canvases. It was four years later, in 1886, when he married Hortense Fiquet in Aix-en-Provence. His first solo exhibition at Ambroise Vollard’s gallery occured in 1895 and attracted the public’s attention. From then on, Cézanne received increasing recognition in the art world. He initially participated in the Salon des Indépendants in 1899, an annual exhibition organized by autonomous painters refusing the strict and rigid policies of the official Salon. Various notable exhibits, such as the Berlin and the Vienna Secession, included his work in subsequent years. In 1906, he died in Aix-en-Provence following complications from severe pneumonia.

Cézanne Today

After the artist’s death, a lively discussion and profound analysis of his work continued. Today, Cézanne is not only considered one of the greatest (Post-)Impressionists but also the primary pioneer of the Modern Art movement. His unparalleled way of creating form with the use of color coupled with his analytical exploration of nature significantly influenced several subsequent art movements. Moreover, Cézanne’s pieces can be classified as highly sought-after and widely popular objects on the art market: one of his works from the series “The Card Players“ was sold privately for approximately $250 million in 2011/2012.