Where ever you go in the world you find art and artists. It always gives me a feeling of reassurance that there is something special about the place if I find artists there working. The photo above was taken in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. She was sketching the beams in the ceiling with the light poring through. Tucked in a corner so as not to be trampled by the crowds. I make it a rule to look and see what the artist is capturing then look up or out to try and see what they see. It is truly like watching magic.We just returned from a river cruise up the Seine river from LeHavre to Paris. That is the area where the great French artists lived and worked. Sure, they went to Paris for shows and business and some even lived there for some time but this area along the banks of the Seine was the beauty they captured that still inspires us today.
The Seine holds some of the countries major industries and factories today but is still sprinkled with picturesque villages, mostly unchanged, since they were painted by the Impressionists. They often hung out in a sea side village called Honfleur. Here they painted the ocean and boat scenes. This city remains filled with traditional architecture and a lovely harbor lined with restaurants.
Perhaps the most memorable and breathtaking place was Monet's home and gardens at Giverny. Monet moved out of Paris and into this huge home in Giverny where he lived from 1883 until 1926 at his death. His home and gardens is now a museum and has been restored and maintained by the Monet Foundation. The gardens are planted so that each season is both different and spectacular. Colors and textures abound and they have followed Monet's original plan for his garden. He created the lily pond that was such a frequent subject. When you stand in the garden and picture his work you can see what he saw and place yourself in the setting where his paintings were created. He could stay on his porch and watch the endless parade of seasons. His home is open and you can see all the wonderful Japanese wood block prints and engravings that so inspired him. Here are a few photos of the house and gardens to give you the idea.
I took close to 500 photos but these should wet your appetite for a visit. Once we hit Paris the next highlights were a visit to the Musee de Orsey, always an inspiration, and the Rodan Museum. Rodan was not only a fabulous sculptor but the museum shows his paintings and ceramics as well. I always enjoy seeing the experiments of great artists, how they reach out and explore with no fear of failure, just pure adventure to see how it works and what happens.
We skipped the massive lines and crowds of the Louvre and instead stuck to Rodan. Here are a couple of photos of this "don't miss" Rodan Museum.
This was Rodan's home and studio. He is buried under his sculpture of the Thinker in the courtyard. Consider visiting this area instead of zooming up the Eiffel Tower. You will have much richer memories.
