Paul Cezanne (19 January, 1839 - 22 October, 1906) is an artist who’s famous for his impressionist paintings that he created in diverse styles, widely influencing abstract art in the 20th century. He was a post-impressionist French painter whose art depicted different brushstrokes that made his signature works quite recognizable. Cezanne is also known to have influenced Cubism. He developed a great mastery of color, composition, and design that defined his works throughout his artistic career. Some of the world's renowned artists whom he influenced through his works include Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Cezanne joined College Bourbon in 1852, where he became friends with Emile Zola, a writer, with whom they had a clear cut vision for success in the flourishing Paris art industry. His love of art further drove him to study art at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1856 in Aix. Cezanne's choice to study art didn't go down well with his father, who talked him into studying law. He took a trip to Paris, where he met Claude Monet and saw the works of other artists, including Eugène Delacroix's art. He covered a wide subject spectrum that featured religion, dreams, and fantasies. While he received a lot of encouragement from his contemporaries such as Pissarro and his friend Zola, his works often resulted in ridicule whenever he presented them to exhibition.
After moving to work with Pissarro in Pontoise, France, he began to change his style, with romance and religion slowly disappearing from his work. Cezanne’s works began to feature more vibrant colors and roped in different subjects, basically inspired by nature. He participated in an 1874 exhibition that led to the molding the word “Impressionism” in relation to his style. It was a show that brought together artists whose works were mainly rejected because they didn’t conform to the established styles. His works continued to be rejected, compelling him to move to his home in Southern France to work in isolation. It was until 1895 that, after being encouraged by Pissarro, Monet, and Renoir, he started exhibiting his art again. That earned him some fame. He sent his work to Salon several times beginning 1899, but it was in 1904 that he got a whole room to exhibit his works. Although he was generally not appreciated, his last 3 decades provided the platform for modern art. It's his new artistic language that saw his works become a huge influence in the 20th century. Paul Cezanne framed art can still be bought from different galleries and several of his works still remain collected.