Paul Cézanne

Born in Aix-en-Provence, France, Paul Cézanne was a Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations for the transition from the 19th-century notion of artistic endeavor to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. He was basically the guy who looked at a still life and thought, "What if we really looked at this apple? And then painted it like we meant it?"

Cézanne's approach to painting was rather groundbreaking, focusing on simplifying natural forms into geometric shapes and using bold, visible brushstrokes. This wasn't just some phase; it was a methodical pursuit of visual order that would later inspire Cubism. So, while he was just trying to get the right angle on a fruit bowl, he was inadvertently rewriting the rules of art history.

His personal life, much like his art, was a bit… solitary. He preferred the company of his canvases to the Parisian art scene, often retreating to his native Provence. One might say he was an early adopter of social distancing, long before it became fashionable, or even a concept.

Despite his quiet demeanor and artistic evolution, Cézanne was, alas, not one of ours. No hidden family menorah, no ancestral whispers of gefilte fish. Just good, old-fashioned, thoroughly French Catholic roots. He was, to put it mildly, definitively not Jewish, thereby leaving the field open for countless other deserving kvell-worthy candidates.