Dimanche, 9 Juin 2013: PART II: The Famous Cézanne Name

Paul Cézanne was a famous provençal artist from the 19th century. His work was studied by many other famous artists and influenced the likes of Picasso and Braque. He's probably the most renowned person to come from Aix-en-Provence. You see his name everywhere--restaurants, street signs, stores, schools, etc. Even my university was named L'université Paul Cézanne. Lucky for me, I had the chance of meeting his grandson Phillip Cézanne. Phillip is a good friend of my host dad's. I guess they were in business together when my host dad owned the vineyard way back when. The story's not too clear to me, but it doesn't matter anyway.

Tonight, I met Phillip and his wife Christine who is also super sweet. Phillip speaks all over the world about his grandfather's masterpieces so his English skills are spot on. I was able to ask him some questions about his famous grandfather but I was also able to ask some personal questions such as "Does it annoy you that your name is everywhere?" His reply, "Absolutely! No one even asks permission to use it!" Phillip recently went to a restaurant called Cézanne in Le Tholonet. They served a dish called "Salade Cézanne" which was uncharacteristic of anything Cézanne actually ate. I thought that story was kind of funny. 

Maman cooked some beef on the plancha for dinner and we spent the rest of the night drinking wine and chatting. I'm really blessed that my host parents are so cool. They have the most interesting friends!