A vivid portrait of Paul Cézanne drawn from the author's personal conversations with the artist, Joachim Gasquet's classic offers a rare window into the mind of this modernist master. Joachim Gasquet's personal and largely first-hand study of the greatest and most profound modern painter has been known to Cézanne experts and art historians for some time.

An invaluable and often-cited source of information on the artist’s aspirations and ideas, the first half of the book draws on personal family connections, as well as testimony from those who knew the artist at various stages of his life, to present a rich account of Cézanne’s life, career and inner struggles.

The second half is couched in the form of conversations between Gasquet and Cézanne, in the course of which Cézanne struggles to formulate his basic artistic philosophy. What emerges is a poignant and unforgettable portrait of a tortured, obsessed genius who seemed doomed never to satisfy his own ideals.