A celebration of Cezanne's remarkable and varied depictions of Provence

"A native of Aix-en-Provence by birth, Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) went to Paris for the first time in 1861, at the insistence of his childhood friend Émile Zola. Cézanne decided to become a painter, against his family's advice, determined to make his mark on the Parisian scene that was then intrinsic to any successful artistic career. Paradoxically, Cézanne did not use Paris as a theme for his paintings: he did not represent its streets, its monuments, life in the area, or the great urban transformations taking place, unlike many of his contemporaries, including Caillebotte, Guillaumin, and Pissarro. So was the painter indifferent to this city? Throughout his life, he would make over twenty return trips to Paris from Aix, without ever setting down in the capital, even though some of his stays there were lengthy. So what was Cézanne looking for in Paris? What kind of influence did the capital have on his painting? He had contacts with artistic and intellectual circles that were liberal in both thought and lifestyle, and was he determined at all costs to resist their temptation? Was he drawn by the city's vibrant creative buzz, seeing it as something essential to the development of his art? From a range of viewpoints and using extensive illustrations, this book explores these questions by following the painter's career in Paris and the surrounding area, as well as the motifs he used and pictorial choices he made."--Book jacket.

Discusses painter Paul Cézanne's 1886 departure from Paris to his native city, Aix-en-Provence, arguing that it was related to French regionalist politics of the time, and shows how the move affected his art.

The second contribution to the series that began with

Published in a limited edition of 25 copies, this elegant boxed volume presents Joel Meyerowitz' masterful color photographs of C�zanne's Atelier and the objects, and includes a photograph signed and numbered by the artist. Some years ago, Meyerowitz visited C�zanne's studio in Provence, and experienced a flash of understanding about his art. C�zanne had painted the walls a dark gray, mixing the color himself. Consequently, every object in the studio seemed to be absorbed into the gray of the background. Meyerowitz saw how C�zanne thus flattened perspective. He decided to take each of the objects in the studio and view them against the gray wall. He then arranged them in rows, and made a photographic grid of five rows with five objects on each row. These photographs are at once marvelous photographic still lifes and an incredible revelation of C�zanne's methods

"The fifth entry in this acclaimed series finds Verlaque and Bonnet investigating a murder and the provenance of a mysterious painting Like Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri, M. L. Longworth's enchanting mystery series blends clever whodunits with gustatory delights and the timeless appeal of Provence. The Mystery of the Lost Caezanne adds a new twist by immersing Antoine and Marine in a clever double narrative that costars Provence's greatest artist. A friend in his cigar club asks Antoine to visit Renae Rouquet, a retired postal worker who has found a rolled-up canvas in his apartment. As the apartment once belonged to Caezanne, Rouquet is convinced he's discovered a treasure. But when Antoine arrives at the apartment, he finds Renae dead, the canvas missing, and a mysterious art history professor standing over the body. When the painting is finally recovered, the mystery only deepens. The brushwork and color all point to Caezanne. But who is the smiling woman in the painting? She is definitely not the dour Madame Caezanne. Who killed Renae? Who stole the painting? And what will they do to get it back? "--

When Yannick learns that he is to stay with his Aunt Mathilde in the South of France, he cannot believe his luck. If the paintings of his mother's beloved Cezanne are to be believed, surely Provence is paradise itself. So begins an idyllic month for the young boy. Then one evening the idyll is spoilt when an important local comes for dinner and Yannick accidentally destroys a precious drawing the man leaves behind. He could never have imagined that his mother's hero, the world-famous Cezanne, would come to his inn, and sit at one of his tables Yannick is devastated by what he has done, and resolves to make things right. But in so doing he makes a surprising discovery."

From banker to painter - Cezanne and the Impressionists - Harmony in parallel with nature - Still lifes - Mont Saint-Victoire - Latter years.

Paul Cezanne was for the most part self-taught. Denied official recognition in Paris, he returned again and again to Provence to create his own style, largely independent of other artists' influence. The author outlines the development of that style against the background of Cezanne's personal life - the close friendship with Emile Zola during the artist's happy childhood in Aix; his fight to pursue an artistic career despite an antagonistic father; his extended sojourns in Paris and his acquaintance there with the impressionists; his relationship with, and eventual marriage to, the artist's model Hortense Fiquet; and the lonely final years, devoted with obsessive single-mindedness to the realization of an artistic vision that laid the foundations of modern art. While including discussion of Cezanne's still lifes and "Bathers" series, the book focuses on his images of Provence - the coast near Marseille, the villages around Aix, and Mont Sainte-Victoire. Reproductions of some 50 oil paintings, and of several watercolors and drawings, testify to the enduring fascination that this countryside held for Cezanne and to its formative influence on his art.