Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) is recognized as the father of abstract art and the modern art movement.² His emphasis on natural forms and geometric structure influenced a new generation of artists and served as models for Fauvism and Cubism. He was a sensitive, temperamental man who spoke with a thick Provence accent, introspective and emotionally volatile, proud but lacking in self-confidence. The eldest of 3 children, he was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. His father, Louis-Auguste Cézanne, was a self-made man, a successful dealer and exporter of felt hats who had opened a bank and become prosperous. He hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps at the family bank, which he would rename Cézanne . . . [Full Text of this Article]