Man with a Pipe (L'homme à la pipe)

Cézanne often chose his subjects from his native region of Provence. In this image, a peasant wears a blue work smock over a brown jacket while a vermilion red scarf provides a lively color accent. Cézanne represents one of the workers from the fields and vineyards of his family home the Jas de Bouffan, a large estate close to Aix-en-Provence. The peasant stands with a calm, meditative expression, and his monumental form suggests the timeless, traditional values that Cézanne associated with Provençal peasants. This painting is a study for a spectator who appears in the Card Players.