Cézanne was born in 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, in southern France, to a staid banker and his vivacious but tempestuous wife. His father was the founder of a banking firm that enjoyed great prosperity throughout Cézanne’s life, which afforded him a level of financial security that eluded many of his artistic contemporaries. Cézanne entered the Collège Bourbon at the age of 13, where he became friends with the novelist Emile Zola. To please his father, he attended the law school of the University of Aix from 1859-61, while also continuing drawing lessons. The desire to paint was too great, however, and Cézanne moved to Paris in 1861 to pursue his chosen career.

Cézanne exhibited at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 but things did not go at all according to plan. His work was not in keeping with the style of his contemporaries and proved unpopular with critics and collectors.