Saint-Paul de Vence, Vence et Tourrettes-sur-Loup

Instead of classes today, we went on a guided excursion by coach to three nearby villages. An important element in learning to speak French is to have a better understanding of the culture. Indeed this field trip gave us some insight into French culture, particularly the arts, history and gastronomy. Unfortunately, the weather was less than stellar, but nevertheless, we had a wonderful day.

Our first stop was the La Fondation de Maeght, a contemporary art gallery in Saint-Paul de Vence. I had visited Saint-Paul de Vence previously (see blog Nov 11, 2014), but I had not visited this gallery. It is a unique example of a private European foundation. The gallery, which opened in 1964, was financed by Marguerite and Aimé Maeght and built by architect Josep L. Sert. Inside the gates, you will find 20th century modern and contemporary art in all its forms throughout the building, courtyards and gardens. 

Sculptures by Joan Miró in the gardens. This one was called Personnâge.

 "La Vie" by Marc Chagall.

Costumes de personnâges by Joan Miró. As a side note, we watched a rather bizarre video where actors dressed in these costumes performed a sketch before a crowd. They were certainly colourful and entertaining.

...another sculpture in the Miró labyrinth.

Bronze sculpture collection by Alberto Giacometti in the courtyard.

Songe et mensonge by Marco Del Re

Danse by Gérard Fromanger

I just happened to like this one...

Following our visit to the Maeght gallery, we were free to explore the village of Saint-Paul de Vence on our own. Here is a view of the old city surrounded by the rampart walls.

As mentioned in my previous blog, I was quite taken by the pretty stone walkways. It is hard to imagine what painstaking work it would have been to construct them.

There is a larger sculpture of this man bound by rebar at the Citadel in Villefranche. The tour guide there said it has been dubbed "the married man"..hmm What do you think Keith?

After a pleasant couple of hours of wandering through the village and enjoying a lovely lunch with some of my classmates, we met up with the larger group to wait for our coach before travelling to Vence.

Our next stop was a brief visit to the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence. Unfortunately, as in the Matisse museum, photos were prohibited. Hence, I will try to provide you with a brief written description. Matisse had surgery for cancer in 1941. He required nusing care and a young woman named Monique Bourgeois came to his aid. She nursed him to recovery and they became devoted friends. In 1946, she entered the religious order of the Dominicans and was ordered as Sister Jacques-Marie. He designed and built the Chapel and all of its elements as a thank you to his devoted friend. He considered it to be the most challenging work of his career and his masterpiece. The Chapel itself is a modest, simple and small building. The interior is entirely white except for the stained windows on one side wall and behind the altar. The stained glass is in vibrant green in the shape of cacti leaves, blue and yellow. The other walls are white ceramic tiles with abstract drawings done in bold black strokes. One mural is of St. Dominique, the founder of the Order, the next is Madonna and Child and the rear wall depicts the 14 stations of the cross. The church is a stark contrast to many that I have visited - definitely a statement of minimalism. There is a small exhibition room attached to the church that houses several Matisse originals and some of the priest vestments that he designed as well. 

Our final destination was the pretty artisan and medieval village of Tourrette's-sur-Loup. It is also known as the Violet village.  Violet ice cream and gelato are among some of the popular products made here.  A couple of my classmates tried the ice cream and said it was delicious.  By the time we arrived, it was beginning to rain which put a damper on our exploration. However, we did roam along some of the narrow streets through vaulted passage ways. In my opinion, this village has the charm of Saint-Paul, but is much quieter and less "touristique". 

 

Julien, our fearless tour guide and prof responsible for extracurricular acitivities. 

Wouldn't you just love to live on this street? ... if only it had been sunny.

Very pretty village n'est-ce pas? 

It was a most pleasant day and once again we are grateful to Julien and the school for the opportunity.