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When Cézanne first arrived in Paris, his pigments were
dark and heavy, often applied with a palette knife. In
later years he remembered that it was Pissarro
who had brightened his palette and told him "Never
paint except with the three primary colors." The
bright hues and quickly worked brushstrokes reveal the
effect of Pissarro's influence. Greens and yellows
contrast in the foreground, and multihued vertical drags
of the brush recreate watery reflections. Cool shadows
contrast with the orange of a tiled roof. Light emphasizes
the blond planes of the building, which is shaded with
blues, greens, and mauves, and where broad strokes and
heavier paint convey texture.
The elaborate signature and date are unusual in Cézanne's
work. Perhaps he intended the picture for public
exhibition -- at the urging of Pissarro, three of his
paintings were included in the first impressionist show --
or for a patron. In 1873 Cézanne moved to the village of
Auvers, where this was painted. It was near Pissarro's
home, and the two of them often worked side by side during
1873 and 1874. Auvers was also home to Dr. Gachet, a
collector who would later care for the despairing Van
Gogh. Cézanne may have hoped Gachet would purchase his
work, which was ignored by the public. Cézanne returned
to Provence and, after inheriting his father's large
estate in 1886, largely abandoned efforts to promote his
work. He did not realize commercial success until he was
in his fifties.
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