Oui oui bonjour merci absolument oooh la la!!
We. Went. To. Paris!....Oh yes we did
3 completely crazy, love drenched, walked our arses off, tiki toured the city of Amour (cue hearts and flowers magically dropping from the sky) days to Oooh and Ahhhh at art, all things chic and bootiful and MASSIVE monuments...what a magical weekend.
An informative guided tour all the way (330 metres) to the SUMMIT of the Eiffel Tower (Eeeeeeeeee. that was high!), a disorderly taxi ride around the Arc de triomphe (the driver swore...Merde! hehe), got lost in The Louvre, navigating approximately 10% of the displays (yeah theres something like 35,000 works in there, so yep 10%) Wandered the billowy gardens of Jardin des plantes, next door to our apartment. Walked the river Seine (many times night and day) and we LOVED watching the different dance enclaves from rhumba to tango to swing strut their moves along the riverbank... and I completely mastered the brilliant Metro train system (that was all me uhuh), A fantastic walking tour of Montmartre (the artist neighbourhood where Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Picasso and many others met up at cafes and painted in light filled studios) finishing at Sacre Couer and then 2 hours of AMAZING art in Musee d'Orsay Paris's amazing impressionist gallery.
A creative cherry-on-the-cake moment for me was walking the halls of Musee d'Orsay. Quite a moment of powerful recognition...one of those full circle moments....here in front of me was the work that inspired my desire to paint colour, and particularly with the gusto I do. From Maurice de Vlamincks wild use of reds, orange and yellow and his paynes grey line work, to Signac, Derain and Henri Matisse. These were the fauvists (the wild beasts of colour). Fauve artists used pure, brilliant colour aggressively applied straight from the paint tubes to create a sense of an explosion on the canvas. I heartily consider myself a full card carrying member of their legacy. Permission to paint as I see it. Life. In all its technicolour juiciness and unrestrained colourful abandon.
So, yep a WOW moment. A moment to recall the Fauvist exhibition I wandered through in the National Gallery of Victoria with you Desley Dixon in 1993??? And the hardcover catalogue that you bought me that I literally pored over and studied with such committed fervour for years to come. Thank you for that. Thank you...
Enjoy our romp through Paris and see some of the work that inspired mine. Oh and I have just heard that a mural project I have quoted on has gotten the green light, which will be my final project before heading home. Fist pump!
Photos of Van Gogh Sunflowers a la Sara, slurping sorbet whilst watching an artist render an amazing charcoal drawing in the market square, Montmartre. Daryle chewing on the end of a tiny traditional (20 hours proving) baguette, A few of the most fauvist-ish works that inspired me to become a painter...Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer, Jardin des plantes, a Bee Hotel, Eiffel tower, a few of the works at the Louvre that tickled me (course there were ancient cats...eye roll) the yummiest late night vegan falafel, Arc de Triomphe, and Les petit points Parisiens, where I purchased their signature lolly pink alpaca and silk wool...nom nom nom
Some of my favouritist things:
ALL OF THE ABOVE, and the fact we could scoot over and revel in the absolute marvellousness of it from Cyprus. A mere few flying hours away. Such a treat.
Daryle asked me how I thought the trip to Paris might influence my painting, and I don't quite know yet other than the elevation in feelings having come full circle in Musee d'Orsay, and the longing starting to burn in me to get back into my studio at home...I am sure you will point out the influence if you notice any....
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