Aix-en-Provence is Cezanne territory. His studio was just outside the centre of town, a short walk from the church of St. Sauveur except it was a hot sunny day so it felt much farther for us. No photos were allowed in the studio but here is the staircase leading up to it, in itself quite striking.
The studio was one large room, the width of the house, with one large window facing north and several windows facing south. The large wall to wall window was quite unusual in a house from that period but clearly perfect for a studio. There were little original furniture but we were told we can pull out some of the drawers of an old cabinet to see some of his old photos and sketches. It was all quite interesting but there was probably enough content for a 15 minute visit. Still, if it were a pilgrimage, one would say it was an honour to be treading on the same ground as the great artist and to be in the same room where he created his many famous paintings.
Here is the outside of the house
and the garden, which I actually found more captivating because of the fascinating play of light coming through the tree canopy onto the many intersecting pathways at varying grade levels. You can see below that there are a million possibilities for Cezanne paintings in that garden and I almost saw more of Cezanne in the garden than in the studio. I had great fun with the camera here - adjusting the light meter, the polaroid filter, focusing on different areas, then checking for effects. We must have spent more than an hour just in the garden. Love it!
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