Paul Cézanne painted the Mont Sainte-Victoire multiple times from the 1870s to early 1900s. The mountain held a significant symbolic appeal in the region, being tied to ancient Roman victory and early Christian festivals. Moreover, it was a prominent landmark in the region, with Cézanne developing an intimate relationship with its landscape.
Cézanne’s series of paintings of Mont Sainte-Victoire deviated from traditional representation and emphasized broken visions through hesitations and glimpses. In his painting at Philadelphia Museum of Art, which dates back to 1902-04, he illustrated a stronger emphasis on geometric forms and bold colors while depicting the mountain dominating the landscape. He expanded the canvas to extend the view at right and foreground.
