CÉZANNE, Paul
(b. 1839, Aix-en-Provence, d. 1906, Aix-en-Provence)

The Temptation of St Anthony

1873-77
Oil on canvas, 47 x 56 cm
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

The legend of St Anthony, the Egyptian hermit, was a particularly popular subject with artists in the second half of the nineteenth century. Cézanne has transposed the "temptation" to a romantic level and particularly emphasizes the sexual aspect of the story.