Title: Portrait of Anthony

Artist: Paul Cézanne

Portrait of Anthony Valabrègue About 1869–71 Paul Cézanne French, 1839–1906 Oil on canvas Cézanne's friend since childhood, the poet Anthony Valabrègue wrote mockingly in a letter to a mutual friend, "Every time he paints one of his friends it seems as though he were revenging himself on him for some hidden injury." Valabrègue refers to the slabs of paint that convey his distinctive physiognomy: broad forehead, high cheekbones, strong nose, rough beard. Working with a nearly monochromatic palette, Cézanne varied the thickness of the surface to animate an otherwise austere portrait.