Question 1

True or false: Cézanne's father was a wealthy banker who eventually left him a large inheritance, supporting his art.

Accepted Answer

True. His father, Louis-Auguste Cézanne, was a successful banker, and Paul inherited a fortune in 1886, easing his finances.

Question 2

True or false: Cézanne was a close friend and frequent painting partner of Vincent van Gogh.

Accepted Answer

False. They never met; Cézanne worked in Provence and Paris, while van Gogh was in Arles and the Netherlands.

Question 3

True or false: Pablo Picasso called Cézanne 'the father of us all' and credited him with inspiring Cubism.

Accepted Answer

True. Picasso said that, and Cézanne's geometric forms and multiple perspectives directly influenced Cubism.

Question 4

True or false: Paul Cézanne once painted a portrait of his wife using only a palette knife.

Accepted Answer

True. Cézanne often used a palette knife in his early works, like 'Portrait of Mme Cézanne,' to apply thick, textured paint.

Question 5

True or false: Cézanne never exhibited at the official Paris Salon because his paintings were always rejected.

Accepted Answer

False. He was rejected often but did exhibit at the Salon in 1865 and 1867, though later shunned it.

Question 6

True or false: Cézanne painted over 200 versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire from his studio window.

Accepted Answer

False. He painted about 80 oil paintings and many watercolors of that mountain, not 200.

Question 7

True or false: Cézanne abandoned a successful law career to become a painter in his late twenties.

Accepted Answer

True. He studied law at his father's insistence, but quit in 1861 at age 22 to pursue art, despite family opposition.

Question 8

True or false: Cézanne's still lifes were often painted from real fruit that he let rot for weeks to achieve perfect color.

Accepted Answer

True. He used artificial fruit or real fruit left to decay, as he painted slowly and wanted consistent hues and shapes.

Paul Cézanne Trivia Questions