Cezanne's Studio

This is where Cezanne worked for several years before he died. On the inside, they have preserved all the objects he used in his still life paintings. They did not allow photos to be taken in there. The studio itself is upstairs, and there is a really big window to the north. It is a surprisingly small space, however, and he had a slot created so that he could have the painting "The Bathers" removed from the studio!

Mementoes of France

From the top:

1. Santons from Cannes depicting a balloon vendor and a girl with a balloon
2. Book of Maurice Esteve's paintings in French from the Musee Luxembourg, with a tiny golden Eiffel Tower on it
3. A ceramic locust, for some reason the lucky animal of Nice
4. A candy tin from Nice
5. Matches from Le Mediterranee restaurant in Paris with Jean Cocteau drawings on it

Nice Toilet Seat

In France I saw several clear toilet seats like this one. This has lovely seaside images in it. One in Paris was clear with bubbles, and I also saw one with a bright tropical image on the seat cover.

I wish I had the option of these seats here!

Victory Day in Nice

As you will remember if you know your World War II history, May 8th is what we Americans call "V.E. Day", or Victory in Europe Day, since we were still fighting in the Pacific at that time. In France, however, it is a VERY important day, because it was the day Europe was totally liberated from Nazi rule. The French still celebrate this day with a festival. In the mechanical bull ride photo, notice there is an American flag.

Paris Window Display

In case it is not clear what these are ... They are open magazines from the 1950s, on pedestals.





Someone cut the figures out, and backed them with cardboard supports so that they can stand up perpendicular to the pages.

Changed Gazebo Already

Now the gazebo has the viney texture all over the place, including the egg chairs, and I put out an umbrella table. It is still very dainty, and I like it a lot this way. course, I also liked it a lot the other way!

Viney Gazebo in Second Life

Osprey suggested I enter the Gazebo building contest in Dreams, so I made this pretty little femmy gazebo. I am surprised how much I like it ... it is much frillier than I usually like things.

Maurice Esteve

At the Musee Luxembourg we saw a show of abstract paintings from the 40s and 50s. I had never heard of any of these painters, and that is saying something, as I have had AGES of art history!

One of them was Maurice Esteve, whose painting (??) I have reproduced here from a book of his work. I was impressed with his work and that of several other painters.

It is too bad that so many good painters seem to get lost in the art scene shuffle. I would love to have seen their work before, and I would think many other people would enjoy it as well.

Two Views of Mont Sainte Victoire

Mont Ste. Victoire is one of the most famous mountains in the world because it was painted by Cezanne 87 times. However, this is a different view of the mountain, the eastern face. It rises out of a plain and dominates the landscape north of Aix (pronounced "ex" for those who don't speak French).






This photo was taken on the hill where Cezanne actually painted. You see here the mountain as it appears in his many, many paintings of it.

One Version of Cezanne's Mont Sainte Victoire

This is just one of many views of Mont Sainte Victoire painted by Cezanne. You can see it is true to life. This painting is in the Kunsthaus, Zurich.

la Cote d'Azur

The beach at Nice is not sand but pebbles, smooth, grey and medium sized. That clearly does not stop people from lying on the beach. The color of the water changes of course, but on this day it was the most lovely pale aquamarine.

Cafe in the Garden

Inside the Jardins du Luxembourg was this little cafe.

Scooter City

Apparently a lot of people in Paris commute using their motorbikes. This is just a taste of what we saw. It makes a lot of sense in a place where the cars are small and people drive very fast yet stop on a dime. Plus think of the gas mileage! Oh lala!