A RETURN TO LA VIE BOHEME

Walking up to the Place de Tertre
When Pierre suggested that we went up to Montmartre to the museum, I jumped at the idea. Now I would see if Bohemia in France at the beginning of the 20th century or even the end of the 19th was as colourful as I remember from previous visits. It had been years since I had strolled through Montmartre. 
A quiet cobbled tree lined street


Curiously it is a very quiet quartier - outside of the tourist track. Cobbled streets go up and down and cars seem out of place. The colours of autumn were well in view. We escaped the famous Place du Tertre with its rather mediocre artists painting mediocre scenes for tourists who were not actually flocking to buy. Even so there is a charm which you cannot deny. 




As the entrance stands today
There is the Bateau Lavoir - famous as the atelier of artists such as - Picasso, Gauguin, Jacobs and the list is so long...even the old photo of their atelier showed the energy that must have been there as they joined together to discuss their work, share food, drink and women too? The «artist’s city» was burnt down in 1970 and unfortunately is now left with a cement building..





 The Montmartre museum is «un petit bijou» - a little perl. Beautifully kept
 
Looking down at the museum

Another veiw

Toward Suzanne Valadon't atelie
 Once Renoir’s atelier - there is the famous swing where an equally famous painting was created. I could not resist the temptation of sitting on it



Not a Renoir painting












The fauves were there and a certain Chabas Maurice who I knew nothing about....

Chabas Maurice 1905 Landscape

Chabas Maurice - a painting which created a scandal
along with other equally famous names or names which became famous as their work became known. Toulouse Lautrec’s posters, Friez, Suzanne Valadon....here in this beautiful three story building bohemia showed it’s true colours. The Lapin Argile, the famous and oldest cabaret, 

Le Lapin Agile

Poster for le Chat Noir

Le Chat noir....

Shadow theatre


Le Chat Noir (with I might add an icon in the garden lapping up the sun and refusing to budge for even a caress....)


Inside the museum with the famous poster
And refused my caress - .












 
 And behind the museum there are the old vineyards which have existed from the Middle Ages and replanted in 1993. The Renoir gardens provide a beautiful view of the vineyards now decorated as well with a variety of flower arrangements.

The vineyards

Colourful gardens

This is colour - the posters, the images in the museum confirmed what I thought all along. THAT period must have been a wonderful epoch. 


Commentaires

Michael Keane a dit…
Reminds me of the movie "Midnight In Paris". It was certainly an exciting era of discovery.
6/10/12 04:52
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