CŽzanne spent most of 1865 in Paris, where he continued his training, working on life studies at the Atelier Suisse in the mornings and, in the afternoons, visiting galleries where he studied the works of the old masters he admired. The Spanish school of painting was in vogue during the Second Empire, and Zola commented on its role in the development of CŽzanne’s style. In 1865 Marius Roux, in an article about the artists from Aix-en-Provence who formed part of Zola’s circle, noted: ‘M. CŽzanne is one of the good pupils who is come to Paris from Aix. … A great admirer of Ribeira [sic] and Zurbar‡n, our painter’s art nevertheless springs entirely from within himself.’
