119 years ago today, on October 22, 1906 (September 5, 1906 lunar calendar), the French painter Cézanne died. Cézanne, known as the "father of modern painting", spent most of his life in humiliation and reproach. But he never compromised once, and in the end he achieved earth-shattering wins, which is also a rare example in the history of art. Paul Cézanne was born in Aix, not far from Marseille, in 1839. His father was a hat manufacturer and later a banker. Cézanne loved painting as a child, and once his paintings won second prize at school. His father was not only unhappy, but also worried to Cézanne: "Young man, consider the future!" He even shouted: "The talented often die, and the rich live!" He wanted his son to be a lawyer who could make money, or at least a businessperson. He sent Cézanne to law school, but Cézanne refused to become a lawyer, and he forced his son to stand at the counter in the bank, settle accounts and pay money, all in vain. At the age of 24, Cézanne finally decided to apply for the Academy of Fine Arts. Who knew that if he didn't pass the exam, the examiners of the Academy thought that he had no future. But this did not discourage him. He lived in Paris and continued to study fine arts, working hard, sometimes without washing his face for days. However, the reward he received was still failure. At the age of 27, he sent a painting to the Paris Salon, and there was no reply. Even his closest friend, Zola, was so angry that he wrote him into his novels as a model of failure that he decided to leave Paris. In 1897, Cézanne returned to his hometown and lived like a hermit. He spent his days either painting life or sitting in his studio observing and meditating on still life, with little contact with the outside world. He pursued real, lasting and eternal things patiently and passionately, and devoted himself to studying the inner life and inner structure of things, the combination of form and color. He had to think twice about every stroke, and his hands trembled until he finally wrote. However, his efforts were still not valued by society, and none of his paintings could be sold. Even when he gave a painting to a real-world friend, he said timidly in advance: "Of course, I don't want you to take the painting home." How sad! Suddenly, Cézanne's paintings sold, and the younger generation of artists in Paris, in pursuit of novelty, found inspiration in Cézanne's complex and difficult works, so Cézanne suddenly became "genius" and "prophet". Cézanne's paintings were worth thousands of dollars, and an eccentric old man sold a small painting that Cézanne gave him as a friendly gesture, and lived on the proceeds of the sale of the painting. Cézanne's paintings had a huge impact on 20th century Western European art and were recognized by the world as masters of art. On October 22, 1906, Cézanne died. His spirit of pursuing the cause of art throughout his life is always worthy of admiration.