Paul Cézanne

Book excerpt: This beautifully illustrated book features twenty-four masterpieces in portraiture by celebrated French artist Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), offering an excellent introduction to this important aspect of his work. Arranged chronologically and spanning five decades, featured portraits range from a selection of the artist's self-portraits, made throughout his life, to paintings depicting family and friends, including his uncle Dominique, his wife Hortense, his son Paul, and his final portrait of Vallier, the gardener at his house near Aix-en-Provence, completed shortly before Cézanne's death. Art historian Mary Tompkins Lewis contributes an illuminating essay on Cézanne and his portraiture for general readers, alongside an illustrated chronology of the artist's life and work.