Paul Cézanne

Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) laid the foundations for modern art. Both Matisse and Picasso called him "the father of us all." Working in his native Provence, Cezanne developed a revolutionary approach to form and space, building pictures through carefully placed brushstrokes of color rather than traditional modeling. His analytical treatment of nature, reducing forms to geometric essentials, directly inspired Cubism and subsequent movements. Mont Sainte-Victoire, visible from his studio, became his obsessive subject.

Son of a wealthy banker, Cezanne studied law before pursuing art against his father's wishes. The Ecole des Beaux-Arts rejected him twice. He met Pissarro at the Academie Suisse, who taught him Impressionist techniques at Pontoise, though Cezanne eventually moved beyond Impressionism's spontaneity toward a more structured approach. His difficult personality isolated him; only patient Pissarro could work with him. After inheriting his father's fortune, Cezanne worked in solitude, producing over 200 still lifes. His Card Players series fetched $250 million in 2011. The Musee d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum, and Hermitage hold significant collections.