Sennelier and Paul Cézanne's palette

Paul Cézanne's studio in Aix-en-Provence has confirmed it: Sennelier was the supplier to Paul Cézanne, who used 18 Sennelier fine oil paints that are still available today as part of the current extra-fine oil range.

Since it was founded in 1887, some of the greatest names in the history of art have placed their trust in the unique quality of Sennelier colours. This extraordinary group of clients includes Sisley, Gauguin and even Van Gogh, who would ask his brother Théo to go to Sennelier to buy his colours for him. The impressionist and precursor to modern art Paul Cézanne was another. Paul Cézanne's studio in Aix-en-Provence has confirmed it: Sennelier was the supplier to Paul Cézanne, who used 18 Sennelier fine oil paints. These colours can still be seen on the very last palette used by the painter, which is on display at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence. This harmonious palette was made up of colours which can still be found today among the 144 different colours in the current range.

Emile Bernard, who was the driving force behind the Pont-Aven school, was once a pupil of Paul Cézanne, spending several weeks at his studio in Aix. In his memoir ‘Memories of Paul Cézanne and Unpublished Letters’, he described the Master’s palette as follows: “As you can see, the colour composition is arranged according to the colour circle, extending it as far as possible; [...] it ranges from a perfect gradation of blues to greens and from reddish browns to yellows. The advantage of such a palette is that mixes aren’t pushed too far, giving a real sense of depth to what is being painted by enabling strong contrasts between dark and light. [...] Cézanne’s palette is a true painter’s palette; the palette of a Rubens or a Delacroix can’t have been much different.”  

Paul Cézanne used the following 18 oil paints:

116 - white
208 - Raw Sienna
211 - Burnt Sienna
213 - Green earth
252 - Yellow ochre
259 - Red ochre
307 - Cobalt blue
314 - French ultramarine blue
318 - Prussian blue
511 - Bright yellow
567 - Naples yellow
674 - Vermilion
688 - Crimson lake
689 - Madder lake deep
690 - Rose madder lake
757 - Peach black 
847 - Viridian
837 - Emerald green 

Photo: Paul Cézanne’s palette on display at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence We would like to thank the staff at Paul Cézanne’s studio for providing us with this information. For more information on the studio, follow this link:  http://www.atelier-cezanne.com/