Paul Cezanne, January 19, 1839 – October 22, 1906
Cubist artist Pablo Picasso is famously quoted as having once referred to artist Paul Cezanne as "the father of us all," and with good reason. The Post-Impressionist Cezanne can easily be said to have bridged the gap between Impressionism and Cubism.
Born in West Piedmont, France, in 1839, Cezanne was fortunate enough to have a well-to-do father (a banker) who supported his artistic pursuits throughout his life and career. He studied art as a young boy and then went on to paint with the Impressionists in Paris. Although he loved the light, quick brush strokes of Impressionism, Cezanne soon introduced more earthy, grounded, structural influences into the style, saying, "I want to make of Impressionism something solid and lasting like the art in the museums."
As you can see, Cezanne used the quick brushstrokes and ephemeral style of the Impressionists, yet with a much stronger emphasis on composition, form and geometric shapes. These are the hallmarks of Post-Impressionist painting, which eventually led to Cubism.
Cezanne's forays into geometric simplification inspired a generation of artists -- including Picasso, Braque and Gris -- to experiment with form, and to eventually offer complex multiple views of the same subject. Thus, Cezanne sparked one of art history's most revolutionary movements -- that of modern art.
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