Mont Sainte-Victoire and Château Noir

Mont Sainte-Victoire is part of a range of limestone hills and mountains to the south of Aix-en- Provence, the town in which Cézanne was born. This mountain's majestic presence symbolizes the region of Provence, and Cézanne painted it repeatedly, from his youth. This work, from the last years of his life, presents a gallant view of the mountain, looking eastward from a hill along the road to Thoronet, east of Aix. The yellow building in the left center of the painting is the Château Noir. A dense growth of trees occupies the foreground. The dark green above the mountain on the right is a cluster of pine needles from a branch of a large pine tree near the spot where Cézanne painted this work. The contrast between the cool colors of nature and the warm colors of artificial structures weaves a magnificent color symphony in this painting.