The Four Seasons, Winter

Paul Cézanne painted The Four Seasons, Winter in 1861 to decorate the walls of Jas de Bouffan, his father's estate near Aix-en-Provence. The allegorical scene shows a peasant girl sitting near a fire, its warm hues contrasting with the cold surrounding landscape.

Cézanne was just twenty years old and studying law when he began these murals. He ironically signed them "Ingres," an artist he didn't admire, and dated Winter to 1811. The work helped convince his father to let him pursue art in Paris. Measuring 314 by 104 centimeters, it now resides at the Petit Palais in Paris.