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

The Gardener

1902-06
Oil on canvas, 63 x 52 cm
Tate Gallery, London

In 1902, Cézanne bought a plot of land on the Chemin des Lauves, on an otherwise undeveloped hillside to the north of Aix, and had a two-storey house built with a large studio, some five metres high, on the first floor. He used the studio early in the morning and in the late afternoon. When it became too hot, he would paint watercolours on the terrace, which was surrounded by bushes and small trees and had a magnificent view of the town of Aix. From time to time, local agricultural workers or his gardener Vallier would sit for him, for example for this painting.