Chez Paul This year was the centenary of the death of Paul Cézanne. While I was too late for the main festivities in his home town of Aix-en-Provence, which apparently had done everything short of renaming itself Cézanneville, it was definitely worth the easy train trip north. Upon arrival, began the pilgrimage by making a beeline
to Deux Garçons, the café under the plane
trees of Cours Mirabeau where Cézanne
used to hang out with Emile Zola.
It turns out Paul's old studio sits on some prime real estate, less than 1.5km from the center of Aix and a local developer had been all set to tear down the house and build some apartment blocks. It was an American who bought it and organized the foundation that would preserve it and then give it back to the city of Aix. In a country that doesn't hold ours in very high repute at the moment, it's a satisfying tale. There was a cool sun-dappled courtyard to sit and paint in. Definitely
a cool place for une petite aquarelle before heading back to Cassis (below). |
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