Nobody but himself entered this studio of silence and light. He withdrew to his shelter, a place of contemplation and work where we can still feel, with intensity, the presence of the painter.

On rainy or very cold days, he stayed there, amongst his familiar objects, which became the subjects of his still lifes : some porcelain, bottles, vases, paper or fabric flowers, fruit, apples above all, as well as skulls and the small, plaster cupid. "We think that a sugar bowl has no countenance, no soul. But it changes every day". wrote Cézanne to the poet Joachim Gasquet. "You have to know how to handle them, mollify them, those sirs there. Those glasses, those plates, they talk to each other. These objects arouse us. A sugar bowl tells us as much about ourselves and our art as does a Chardin or a Monticelli".

In good weather, he went out to paint "on the motif". Sheltered by his hat or a parasol, he set up his easel across from the Sainte Victoire mountain, at the top of the Lauves hill, the highest viewpoint for his cherished mountain. "There will be treasures to carry away from this region that have not yet found an interpreter worthy of the richness that it holds" he wrote to Choquet, a civil servant and art lover who had become Cezanne’s friend.

Close by stands an olive tree, already noticed by Cézanne before he even bought the land. During the construction work, he built a small wall around it, to protect it. Cézanne would touch it, speak to it, sometimes kiss it. " It’s a living being, I love it like an old friend. It knows everything about my life and offers me excellent advice". He wrote to Joachim Gasquet.

On October15, 1906, as he was painting Jourdan’s cottage, located near the studio, Cézanne was caught in a storm. He continued to paint, and soaked to the bones, he fainted. Cézanne wanted to die while painting. He passed away eight days later, afflicted by pleurisy.