Paul Cézanne
 Fruits, Napkin and Milk Can,
 c.1880
 Oil on canvas
 60.0 x 73.0cm
 Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris
 © Photo RMN - Arnaudet

Cézanne, the son of a banker in Aix-en-Provence, studied law before devoting himself to painting. He arrived in Paris in 1861 to study at the Académie Suisse, and became involved, with his childhood friend and writer Émile Zola, in the creative revolution directed at the conservative art world. He participated in the Impressionist exhibitions of 1874 and 1877, but withdrew from the Paris art scene after receiving negative responses to his work in the latter exhibition. After this, he spent most of his time in Aix, where he pursued his interest in composition in preference to naturalistic representation. Although no longer residing in Paris, he often returned to the city or the countryside of the Île de France during summer.

© copyright 2001, The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Australia