Portrait of Achille Empéraire

Achille Emp�raire (1829-1898) was C�zanne’s fellow-student at the Atelier Suisse, whom he greatly respected. Emp�raire lived in extreme poverty; a hunch-backed dwarf, he never achieved recognition during his lifetime. C�zanne’s portrait pays homage to his friend, showing him in a combination of dignified melancholy and pride.

The portraits of C�zanne’s father and Emp�raire, each sitting in the same chair, were painted only a few years apart. A comparison shows how much C�zanne’s style had changed during this short period: the flowery seat cover in the portrait of his father is painted in an Impressionist manner, but the decoration on Emp�raire’s chair is shown very precisely, almost schematically.

This painting was submitted to the 1870 Salon. It was rejected.