One of the key figures in 20th-century art, Paul Cézanne became a legend during his lifetime. His biography is overgrown with myths, and his work is surrounded by the speculations of psychoanalysts. Alex Danchev, with the professionalism of a restorer, removes numerous layers, revealing a genuine person and creator - subtle, intelligent, educated, deeply rooted in the classical tradition and who managed to rethink it. Uncompromisingness and absolute selflessness made Cezanne a role model, an inspiration for many generations of artists. On the pages of the book, the author gives the floor to the artist himself and the people around him - friends and enemies, mentors and followers - as well as the pillars of modern culture who chose Paul Cézanne as a standard, messiah, talisman. Matisse, Gauguin, Picasso, Rilke, Beckett and Heidegger reveal the secret of the hypnotic influence that Cézanne had on 20th-century art, once and forever changing the way we see the world.