Paul 'Golden Delicious' Cezanne was born at Aix in sunny Provence where dad was a big noise banker and mum was a somewhat quieter maternal person. Paul's best chum at school was naturalist writer to be, Emile 'Snotty' Zola, a relationship that led to some of the most tedious scrumping episodes in French cultural history. After studying law, Paul went to Paris where he met Pissarro and the Impressionists but never felt he was 'one of the lads', possibly because he couldn't quite manage that spur of the moment 'real life' effect they all did so well.
As his own painting progressed he found new ways to interpret subject matter, like using colour to create perspective and making his brush strokes themselves really hot and sexy. He obviously found all this extremely exciting as he once said 'the day is coming when a single carrot freshly observed will set off a revolution' (so I'm definitely avoiding my local Le Waitrose for ze next couple of weeks).
One of Paul's most rewarding and exciting artistic moments occurred in 1878 when he looked out of his studio window to see that his garden had suddenly filled up with huge frolicking naked women. Seizing the biggest brush he could find, he immediately began dabbing for all he was worth. Seven years later his masterpiece, 'The Great Bathers' was finished (after which Paul and the girls all enjoyed an exhilarating game of Post-Impressionists' knock).
For the last 20 years of his life Paul lived a solitary life, receiving few visitors, but having once said, 'a thousand artists should be killed each day', that's not in the least bit surprising. Paul has been described as the Father of Modern Painting … that begs the question, 'was the conception immaculate?'.
