Category Archives: Art

My Favourite Exhibition in Paris this Summer and a Fun Fair

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

I love the Tuileries Gardens in the late afternoon in summer. The crowds have died down and if it’s a fine day, the sunset will turn the Louvre a lovely shade of pink. There are four fountains, each with a different view. Just pick a chair and take it all in! But first, make sure you go to the free Ahae exhibition in a temporary installation on the Concorde end, just before the Orangery.

I’ve now been twice and each time, the effect when I leave the exhibition is the same – a wonderful feeling of lightness and serenity. Ahae is a Korean photographer who took 2 million photos over a period of three years from the SAME WINDOW. Not just any window, of course. He looks out onto a pond, maple trees and mountains. And not just any photographer either. His high-tech equipment includes a 1200 mm lens. The stunning result is often more like an impressionist painting than a photograph.

I particularly like his photos of birds in trees or in flight, although the dragonflies perched on reeds in the middle of the pond are not bad either!

When we left the exhibition, Relationnel suggested we take a walk through the fun fair on the other side. Not really my scene but it was actually quite amusing. The first attraction, for small children, consists of a series of large plastic see-through balls floating on water. Each blown-up ball has a zipper. The operator pulls the ball up onto the landing stage and opens the zipper. The child crawls in, the zipper is closed and the operator sends in a blast of air to fill it again. He then pushes the ball into the water. The children all seemed to be having a whale of a time crawling on the bottom of the ball and making it turn around.

However, when I saw the getting-in process, I couldn’t possibly imagine Black Cat at 3 or even 6 for that matter, being zippered into a plastic ball, having air blasted at her, then being thrown into the water in a ball she couldn’t get out of. I watched the next child come along and was not surprised to hear her scream as soon as the air was fed in. The operator undid the zip and she got out, sobbing. However, another little girl, who had just finished her ride, asked if she could go instead, so I guess it’s something you get used to.

Maybe it’s all in preparation for the most horrendous (adult) ride of all – a large arm with an 8-person swing on each end – that had everyone goggling. Relationnel was fascinated watching the riders’ faces. I couldn’t even look at it without feeling ill!  He said they all looked as though they’d had enough after one round, but it then starts turning in the opposite direction. Strong sensations are not my thing, I’m afraid.

Even the traditional ferris wheel is not within my possibilities but it’s much more attractive, particularly in the late afternoon!

Practical information:
The Ahae exhibition is open every day from 10 am to 10 pm and the Tuileries Gardens from 7 am to 11 pm. Until 19th August.

Profile: John Modesitt, American Impressionist painter in France

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

You may remember that I talked about our first guests in Blois – the American Impressionist painter, John Modesitt, and his wife, Toshiko – in a previous post entitled A Painter Comes to Stay. For my monthly guest post on My French Life, I skyped John at his home in San Diego to gain more insight into his love of France and his experience painting in the Loire Valley.

Below is an exerpt from the resulting post published on My French Life, the global community of French and francophiles connecting like-minded people in English & French.   

My love of Impressionist painting goes hand in hand with my love for France. So when I discovered that the first guest at my gîte in the Loire Valley was the well-known American Impressionist John Modesitt, I was thrilled.

I was even more delighted when I saw his latest paintings drying on the floor of the kitchen. And I loved and wanted them all! In the end, we chose ‘The Loire at Blois – Noon’ which is now in our living room in Paris. When we retire to Blois in 2014, it will grace the walls of the very house John was staying in when he painted it. Read more.

 

Sunday’s Travel Photos – Parma, Italy

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

We’re gradually working our way around Italy by car which means that each time, we try and go by a different route so we’ve started visiting the less touristy places. Last time, we went to Parma, famous for its cheese – parmeggiano-reggiano, known in English as Parmesan. We also visited a balsamic vinegar works and stayed in a wonderful B&B nearby called Corte Bebbi. The city itself has several monuments worth visiting, particularly the duomo with its lovely fresques and gold-leaved capitals and baptisry which unfortunately was closed when we got there. We had an uninteresting meal at the Gran Caffè on Piazza Garibaldi with its mixture of Renaissance and more recent buildings but it was fun to watch the world go by.

 

Don’t walk, fly… – Christian and Islamic Cultures Come Together in Córdoba – Cooking (and Eating) French pastries at L’Atelier des Sens

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

I can’t believe the week can go by so quickly! Wednesday again and time for my Bloggers’ Round-up. Finding Noon takes us to a Korean painting exhibition at the Bespoke Exhibition Pavilion in the Tuileries Gardens, Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles stuns us with her lovely photos of Cordoba in Spain, which is definitely on my list of places to revisit, and Abby from Paris Weekender shares a cooking class in Paris that includes croissants. Enjoy!

Don’t walk, fly…

by Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery

So a Frenchman and an Englishman are chatting about a Korean man over lunch in Malaysia…. sounds like the start of some silly joke, but this really did happen about a year ago. Only the Frenchman is the director of the Louvre museum and he was speaking with an interior designer about the photographer Ahae, and his latest project; 2 million photos taken from the same window over 2 years. Read more

Christian and Islamic Cultures Come Together in Córdoba

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles, an Australian which an ongoing passion for France and the French language currently on holiday in Europe

Córdoba, in Andalusia, is reported to have the highest summer average in Europe. It certainly was hot when I visited with friends, Isa and Julio. Apart from the heat, I was struck me by the Islamic influence in the architecture and decoration. I was very much reminded of my stay at Riad Sekkat in Marrakech. Córdoba, historically was Spain’s most significant Islamic city. Read more

 

Cooking (and Eating) French pastries at L’Atelier des Sens

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

I am often asked for suggestions for not-your-usual-tourist activities in Paris. Whether you live in Paris or are just visiting for a few days, one of the best experiences your money can buy is time with an expert who will teach you a little something you can take back home. Perhaps you would be interested in a wine tasting class, perhaps a photography class or a chocolate tasting class or a cooking class…. Whatever you choose, it is sure to be a memorable experience. Read more

My Genuine Italian Fresco

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

I told you recently about the beautiful impressionist painting by John Modesitt we have just bought. It is the first oil painting I’ve bought, but I have other original artworks that I am very fond of. One of my favourites (but they’re all my favourites!) is an Italian fresco.

Corte Bebbi

We were in Italy a couple of years ago , almost at the end of a four-week holiday and were staying in a marvellous B&B near Parma called Corte Bebbi. The bedrooms were large and comfortable and beautifully decorated, there was a swimming pool to cool off in, a little kitchen next to our room that we could use, an outside eating area for picnics and grills and a rose-covered terrace for a delicious breakfast. Our hostess, who speaks English, was friendly and extremely helpful. Our only regret was that we didn’t stay there longer!

Entrance to Sabbioneta

One of the places we visited was Sabbioneta, 30 k north of Parma, which reminded us of Vauban in France with its grid layout, a perfect example of practical application of Renaissance urban planning theories founded in the late 16th century and included in the World Heritage List in 2008. Its most interesting monument is the Teatro all’antica (“Theatre in the style of the ancients”) which was the first free-standing, purpose-built theatre in the modern world.

Teatro all’Antica

But the place I enjoyed most was an amazing antique/secondhand dealer on Palazzo Ducale several stories high with the most incredible mixture of real antiques and junk. The owner was more interested in showing people around than selling anything. There was an outside section as well with fountains and stone tables and chairs. He was even selling a clock with twin bells on top and the inscription “Non omnis moriar” – I will not die completely (as in part of me will live on through my poetry or whatever).

Antique Dealer

In the meantime, I had spied a (closed) shop selling frescoes and had asked for one of them as a belated birthday present. We tracked down the owner who came and opened up for us. It is her father who paints the frescoes in the traditional style. A fresco, from the Italian word for fresh, is a form of mural painting in which earth pigments are painted directly on fresh, wet, lime plaster. As the plaster dries, a chemical process bonds the pigment and plaster together. You usually find them on a wall, of course, but they are a bit difficult to transport! Even so, Relationnel was a bit worried about getting it back to France, but we were just able to fit it into the car.

My fresco in the shop

It has not found its rightful place yet although it is currently hanging in our entrance in Paris but one day I’ll find the perfect setting in Closerie Falaiseau, our Renaissance home in Blois!

Corte Bebbi, Azienda Agricola “Conti Morini Mazzoli” CORTE BEBBI – Via Lazzaro Spallanzani, 119 – Barco – 42021 Bibbiano – (RE), Tel. 0522 243056 – Fax 0522 246183 – Cell. 3485606321, http://www.cortebebbi.it/ENG/index.html, – info@cortebebbi.it – P.Iva 01688540358

Sunday’s Travel Photos – Saint Petersburg

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

One of my greatest travel dreams was to visit Saint Petersburg to see the paintings from Picasso’s blue period in the Hermitage Museum. I finally got there in July 2007 but only one of his paintings was on display! I actually preferred the Russian Museum, much less crowded with far fewer tourists. I enjoyed discovering Russian art and I adored the museum itself with its beautiful painted rooms. I’ll never forget the midnight sun over the Volga.

A Painter Comes to Stay

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Closerie Falaiseau was almost ready for rental when I received a phone call from an American and his wife who wanted to stay for nine days, starting just two days later. I was having dinner at L’Embarcadère with Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles. Relationnel had already gone back to Paris to work.  I frantically tried to remember what still had to be done to receive our first guests but it seemed “do-able”.

When John Modesitt and his very charming Japanese wife Toshiko arrived on the Sunday, everything was ready. I showed them around and they immediately loved the house. Toshiko seemed intrigued by the Henri II mirror in the living room  and she also liked the fact that you could see the kitchen through the original oak beams.  John loved all the wood everywhere. He mentioned to Kathy that he “painted” but it was not until a few days later that I discovered that he is a well-known American impressionist artist and the only living impressionist to auction in Christie’s impressionist auction.

Relationnel and I returned to Blois while John and Toshiko were still there and we were delighted to see his recent paintings spread out on the floor of the kitchen to dry. They had two days left before returning to San Diego which is the time needed for an oil painting to be dry enough to roll up. John was out in the countryside finishing off his last painting. Toshiko explained to me that he had spent a lot of time working on the colour green this year. There are many different shades of green in the French landscape that are difficult to render on canvas.

I had already seen some of John’s paintings on his website so I knew that I liked his style. When I saw the actual canvasses, though, I knew I wanted one!  There were several I liked but one in particular took my eye. Relationnel preferred another painting but it was of Amboise and I wanted one of Blois! So we went away and thought about it. From time to time while John and Toshiko were out, we’d steal a look through the glass door of the kitchen and finally decided which one we wanted. “The Loire at Blois, Noon”. It depicts a scene that we see each time we take the lovely drive from Closerie Falaiseau into Blois along the Loire River.

John just had the time to stretch the canvas for us before he left.  Now all we have to do is frame it. We are extremely happy to have this beautiful work of art for more reasons than one. First, we both love the painting itself and that is surely the best criterion! We love the composition, with its brightly-coloured turn-of-the-century house and tall poplars up on the left , the steel truss bridge spanning the Loire, Relationnel’s favourite river, with its sand banks in the middle and overgrown vegetation. And you can almost see the clouds moving across the top of the canvas.

Second, it was painted by someone we have met and like. Third, the artist told us it is a “special” painting for him. Fourth, it was painted by our very first guest. And last, but not least, it is a symbol of our future life in the Loire Valley where we will be living permanently when Relationnel retires in October 2014.

You might also like to read my interview with John published on My French Life http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2012/07/profile-john-modesitt-american-impressionist-painter-in-france/
 
John Modesitt http://www.americanimpressionist.net/

 

An Original Engraving

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

The first engraving I bought (I already had Captain Cook) was a Christmas present for Relationnel soon after we moved into the Palais Royal. It’s a coloured engraving of the Palais Royal gardens drawn by Fred Nash (1782 to 1856) and engraved by Edward Goodall. Instead of today’s rows of linden trees, planted very recently in fact (less than 20 years ago), there are various trees of different heights. The fountain was much higher and there’s even a man picking apples! Soldiers in tricornes and women in sun bonnets and brollies mingle around the garden very sedately. I love all the little historical details of engravings.

I had noticed various engraving and lithograph shops around the Palais Royal but their prices were a little daunting. However, during my wanderings, I came across a very small shop in rue Rameau called Christian Collin, where the people were very friendly and let me take my time looking through their collections. I’ve bought another couple of engravings since then to take to Australia as presents.

So next time you’re looking for something light and different to take back home, why not try an engraving or a lithograph?

 
Christian Collin
11, rue Rameau, 75002 Paris
Monday to Saturday, 1.30 pm to 7 pm
www.collin-estampes.fr

Roland Garros 2012 – Back in Paris with a “Grand Slam”! – Père Lachaise Cemetary and Brocante – Travelling Alone. Solo Travel. What you need to know.

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

From before the Paris sky turned dull and gloomy, Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris describes her Roland Garros tennis experience, Kathy Stanford from Femmes Franchophiles goes to the Père Lachaise Cemetary and gets swooped on, and Johanna Castro from Zigazag Magazine, whose aim is to “champion voyages of discovery to dream places and quiet spaces. Helping you to “Live for the moment, Love adventure and Do something awesome” gives helpful tips to people travelling solo.

Roland Garros 2012 – Back in Paris with a “Grand Slam”!

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris

Stephane and I live within walking distance of Roland Garros, the home of the French Open. His favorite sport, aside from soccer, is tennis. Yet, there we were, fresh off the plane in Paris, without any tickets for the tournament. Standing forlornly outside the stadium on opening day, we wondered what had happened. Read more

Père Lachaise Cemetery and Brocante

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles

Being the ‘season’ for brocantes I visited the Père Lachaise brocante nearby to the cemetery of the same name. I was actually filling in time until the cemetery opened. It opens later on weekends. Brocantes are where individuals and dealers sell second hand and antique goods. You can buy everything from crockery and glassware to furniture to knick knacks. It was a funny moment when I tried to disengage myself from discussion with a dealer who was keen to shout me coffee at the local café. He was amazed that an Australian would learn French and come to France. Read more.

Travelling Alone. Solo Travel. What you Need to Know.

by Johanna Castro from Zigzag Magazine

Must Know tips for Travelling Solo

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the fastest-growing household type in Australia is ‘lone-person households’ which are anticipated to grow to about three million by 2031.

With that in mind tour companies and hotels will be wanting to attract this new demographic, so do your research before you pay a hefty single supplement. Read more

 

Exploring Saint Germain des Prés – Mary Cassatt’s Greater Journey – Cycling France’s Atlantic Coast

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Wednesday again and more great posts from other people’s blogs. Fellow Australian Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles is making the most of her stay in Paris and has come up with some more unusual visits, including Deyrolle’s taxidermy shop. The American Girls’ Art Club in Paris reviews “The Greater Journey” featuring the story of impressionist Mary Cassatt among others while Experience France by Bike takes us cycling in Basque country, perhaps one of the most scenic cycle paths on the Atlantic Coast.

Exploring Saint Germain des Prés – Deyrolle and Un Dimanche à Paris

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles

Things don’t always turn out as you expect when on holidays. I hadn’t noticed that the Balabus tourist bus between La Defense and Gare de Lyon only operates on Sunday afternoons and public holidays. Having already walked to La Defense from my apartment I decided to take bus 73 to Musée d’Orsay. I wasn’t planning on visting the museum but the bus takes much the same route as the Balabus past some of Paris’s well known locations. Read more

Mary Cassatt’s Greater Journey

by The American Girls’ Art Club in Paris – Exploring Paris In The Footsteps of The Artists and Writers Who Came Before

In The Greater Journey (Simon & Schuster U.S. paperback edition available May 15), McCullough turns his storytelling gifts to the multiplicity of Americans who came to Paris between 1830 and 1900.

As McCullough says, “Not all pioneers went west.”

Among these pioneers were young men and women who would come to study art in Paris, including George P. Healy (who would go on to paint Abraham Lincoln’s portrait), John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt and Augustus St. Gaudens (whose Civil War sculptures and monuments can be found in parks all over the United States). Read more

Cycling France’s Atlantic Coast: The Coastal Path From Bayonne

by Experience France by Bike, an American in love with cycling in France who tries to come here as often as she can

If you love history, Bayonne is definitely a town that you will want to explore. Situated on the Nive and Adour Rivers, Bayonne has thrived both as a military stronghold and a bustling port, and both have contributed to the town’s history. The town is very unique and charming, dominated by its rivers and military fortifications. Bicycling along the quaysides, through the narrow streets of the old city, and along the town walls, you quickly get a sense of the history of this place. Read more

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...