Cezanne and the Provençal Table

Paul Cezanne, perhaps more than any Impressionist, felt an attachment to his birthplace that would endure throughout his lifetime. From the farmhouse where he was raised at Jas de Bouffan to his final home at Lauves, his native region of Provence would provide both the creative and physical sustenance necessary to fuel his unique artistic vision. In a letter, Cezanne once wrote of Provence, "When you are born there, you're done for. Nothing else is appealing."

And so he spent most of his life there, taking long walks in the country, hunting, camping, and, of course, painting all that this beautiful area of France has to offer: the strange Chateau-Noir, the undisturbed silence of the Bibemus quarry, and the majestic Mont Sainte-Victoire, which would become a recurring theme in Cezanne's paintings. When not out wandering the Provencal countryside, Cezanne often brought nature inside in the form of apples, pears, peaches, oranges, and other fruit that he painted as still fifes.

As beloved as Provence was to Cezanne, so too were his favorite Provencal dishes. Although he once claimed that his favorite meal was "potatoes in oil," he enjoyed a variety of foods prepared by his mother and later by his cook, Madame Bremond. Fifty of these special recipes are included in this book, attesting to the simple and bounteous Provencal cuisine that Cezanne held so dear.

Authors Jacqueline Saulnier and Gilles Plazy fondly revive Cezanne's Provence by concentrating on the painter's life and career at his four main Provencal addresses. Special attention is given to the cuisine that is brought temptingly to life by internationally renowned photographer Jean-Bernard Naudin's full-color photographs. Images of Provence, Cezanne's paintings, and recreations of his still lifes add to the extraordinary beauty of a book to be treasured for its portrait of the artist, his home, and his way of life.