Paul Cézanne

Zola was his closest friend from schooldays on, encouraging him to head for Paris and introducing him to Courbet and Manet (the friendship finally ending over Cézanne’s offence at Zola’s fictional character modelled too closely on him). He worked closely alongside Pissarro as his influential mentor for two years. Monet, Manet and Renoir were all early artist colleagues (though he found Manet’s dandyism trying, and didn’t always appreciate Monet’s generosity). He met van Gogh, Gauguin and Rodin, and wrote illuminatingly to the young artists Bernard and Denis, whose writings helped establish his eventual critical standing.