“With a few brushstrokes, Cezanne changed art and how we should look at it forever

not only in Paris but the whole world,” my mate Jason informed me.

Although, initially it wasn’t Cezanne’s artwork that captured my interest at the Tate Modern in London, it was this quote on the wall:

then I spotted one of Cezanne’s self-portraits:

My favorite painting was of the bathers, it was soothing, and settled my mind, which was slightly irritated by the slow-moving staring crowd and stuffy room. Also, I felt a bit overwhelmed with so much to see and read.

Allowing for random was far more relaxing. I decided to wander about without intention or trying to make sense of any of it and to not read anymore.

I caught up with learning more about Cezanne later via the little brochure the Tate kindly handed out to its members, of which I am now one - nice bonus cafe on floor 5 with view included.

12 Things I Found Interesting:

Born 1839 in Aix En Provence
Died 1906
Was a rebel
Surrounded himself with an avant-garde creative circle in Paris including Camille Pissaro (also his mentor), and Emile Zola. He also knew Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Alfred Sisley
Didn’t just paint apples
Is considered the father of modern painting
Exhibited 3 paints at the first Impressionist Exhibition
Was the son of a well-to-do bourgeois family
His overbearing father was a banker and paid him a monthly allowance
Married Marie-Hortense Fiquet with whom they had one son
Didn’t find it easy to get along with people
Was diabetic, which contributed to his unhappy moods

After this adventure, I headed off to one of my best friend’s birthday gatherings at the nearby fabulous French Boro Bistro in Borough market. I don’t think the “Staines Boys” will go down in history.