Summary

Paul Cézanne counts as the father of modern painting. Far from Paris, in the South of France, his obstinacy as man and artist made him a pioneer of a new way of seeing. Returning always to the same sujets – the Mont Sainte-Victoire, bathing figures, or still lifes – he abandoned central perspective, distorted body-shapes and broke all the traditional rules of landscape painting. Aided by experts, and descendants of the artist, Matthew Collings gives a thorough introduction to Cézanne’s life and work, exploring the lifelong artistic quest of the man whom Picasso called “my only master”.