Paul Cezanne

The son of a wealthy banker, Cézanne began his studies in Aix-en-Provence at the École Saint-Joseph in 1849, then attended the Collège Bourbon from 1852 until 1858. Émile Zola, the future author, was to become one of his closest friends. Cézanne enrolled at the École Gratuite de Dessin in 1857, entering the studio of Joseph Gibert (1806-1884). Two years later, complying with his father's wishes, he began studying law at the Université d'Aix while still at the École Gratuite de Dessin. In 1861 Cézanne finally left law school and followed Zola to Paris where he met Pissarro (q.v.) at the...