Cézanne, Paul

Paul Cézanne

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavor to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne's often repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. He used planes of color and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields. His focus on geometric simplification and optical phenomena inspired the Cubists and other modern artists. Despite initial rejection from the art community, Cézanne's unique vision and commitment to form, structure, and detail gained him the recognition of his peers later in life.