Hello from my little cabin in Provence. This will probably be my last posting from the Fourwinds Atelier, yes it will as in two days, Sunday, I leave for two days in Avignon. I will stay in the old medieval town and will be surrounded by a wall centuries old, or so I am told.
It is my Friday midday and Friday early am in Vancouver and my Jimmie is back safely from his trip to the Kootneys and after we spent an hour catching up this morning he has gone to bed and I assume sleeping soundly. It was great to chat with him after a long 4 day absence. Maddie is home from the kennel with a clean blanket, clipped nails and a new doo. So all is well at home and waiting my return next week.
On Wednesday Marcus and I went to Aix-en-Provence, the home and muse of my hero Cezanne was our first stop after walking a half mile up a very steep hill. The first 3 pictures below are of Cezanne's place. The single room that you visit is only about 25 ft by 25 ft with two large french doors on the south side an internal fire place on the east and a wall of windows on the north side. The ceiling is about 20 ft high. the room next to it has an rectangular cut out so, as the atelier is on the second floor, he could slide out big canvas through the slit to an embankment at the back of the house. The walls must have been a darkish green grey but of course it is all flaking and chipped now. In the room are possessions that are believed to be his as the house was bought including contents from Cezanne's son, also a Paul, by an admirer of Cezanne seniors work and then saved as a museum by, unbelievably, two Americans who purchased it and gifted it to the town.
After that we walked through the town to the Garnet Museum, where once again I could take pictures of as many doors as I fancied. I also took pictures of place we stopped for coffee then a market and then the Museum.
The Garnet Musee what charming. It is not as big as D'rsay but I was so excited as there was work by several more artist that previously I had only seen in Art History books. I will start the list with an all time favourite, Alberto Giacometti whose work I have always loved and was thrilled to see in person if only there were more, 5 statures and 6 paintings were not enough. Of course Cezanne was there but also and in no particular order , Mondriian, Legar, Fautrier, Jacol, DeKooing, Richkter, Gottleb, Pollack, and that was just part of the exhibit. Needless to say I was in heaven and spend quiet along time trying to do "close reads" on the works I liked best.
We then went back to the Cours Mirabeau and eat a lunch at the Hotel Nagre Coste apparently a very famous place but one step down from the one two doors down where the french movie stars eat called Les deux Garsons. Apparently ours was less famous and less expensive but still charming to eat out side and watch all the people go by. We had a coffee with small desserts for pudding, see picture some where buried half way through the lot.
We took a train trip through the narrow ally ways in order to see more and every once in a while the conductor would jump out and but her pass in a machine and a large cylinder about 12 inches around and 2 ft off the ground would disappear into the road and we would drive down streets no wider that 8 ft jammed with shops and people and out little train, it was very strange indeed.
After that we took a bus that looks like a 6 passenger rickshaw back to the car park and drove back to Fourwinds. A nine hour day but well spent. So far St Remy has been my favourite but I have yet to explore Avignon.
Well that is it for this post, and for those that know me well I have picked up a real estate magazine and spent some time pursuing its content.
Bon Voyage
No comments:
Post a Comment