Atelier Cézanne and Terrain des Peintres

Aix-en-Provence is known as, "The City of Cézanne". Paul Cézanne was born in Aix in 1839. He was baptized and attended Mass in the Cathédrale Saint Sauveur d'Aix (see previous post). He became one of the most influential artists of the 19th century, famous for bridging the gap between Impressionism and Cubism. He once said, "With an apple, I will astonish Paris". That he did! Matisse and Picasso called Cézanne "the father of us all." He had a distinctive style of using small brush strokes (our tour guide told us he put one brush stroke on canvas every 20 minutes). His studio as he left it is now a museum, offering an English tour once a day in the Spring. Around 15 euros paid for our family of 5. We had a wonderful time. The studio had a ethereal feeling. It's lofty ceiling and windows, stone colored walls, and pale wood floors give the room an airy feeling and provide the most beautiful light. Several of Cézanne's belongings, many of them featured in his still lifes, are in the room laid out like he was just there painting and popped outside for a walk. Monsieur Bacon's favorite part of the room was a very tall slot cut into the wall to move paintings that were too large for the door. We were not allowed to take pictures of the studio, so check out the museum website to see some images:  http://www.atelier-cezanne.com/anglais/visites.htm .

Following in Cézanne's footsteps, we took a hike up to Terrain des Peintres (Painters Park) after our tour. It was about a 15-20 minute uphill walk from Cézanne's studio. This is a park Cézanne was known to paint at frequently. It's easy to see why Cézanne loved to paint here. The views are truly inspiring! Cézanne was quoted as saying, "The truth is in nature, and I shall prove it".

Mont Sainte-Victoire was the subject of many Cézanne paintings. Here it is as seen from Terrain des Peintres:

The park commemorates the famous painter with prints of several of his Monte Sainte-Victoire paintings:

And of course, the babies couldn't care less about the paintings and view. They are on the look out for bugs!  I think Cézanne would be pleased.