Wednesday, August 01, 2007

ON THE STEPS OF CEZANNE

AIX-EN-PROVENCE - MAY 2005

Aquae Sextiae was founded in 122 B.C. by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus. Named Ais de Provenco in Occitan Provencal, it arrived to our days as Aix-en-Provence.



"CEZANNE - Paul Cézanne was born on January 19, 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, and died on October 22, 1906 of pneumonia; he was buried at the old cemetery also in Aix-en-Provence!
Mount Sainte-Victoire is a symbol of Provence, like Mount Ventoux, the major landmark of the Aix area, and a favourite motif of Cézanne: I found twenty different paintings named Mont Sainte-Victoire. At the foot of the Sainte-Victoire we find the village of Vauvenargues. Its castle was bought in 1958 by Picasso, who was buried on its grounds"


"FOUR DOLPHINS FOUNTAIN - Aix is referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the more notable are the Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins, created in 1667 in the heart of the pedestrian zone. Surrounding an obelisk with mysterious inscriptions, the dolphins point each one a cardinal direction..."


"THE CHURCH OF ST. JEAN DE MALTE was once property of the Order of Malta. Constructed in the early thirteenth century is the earliest Gothic building in Aix"


"ESCARGOTS AT LES DEUX GARÇONS (Guerini and Guidoni) - The building dates from 1660, so Les Deux G is on the way towards its fourth century. After Cezanne and Zola in the 19th century, Les 2 Garçons saw many celebrities arrive after 1950: Churchill, René Cassin, Picasso, Darius Milhaud, Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, James Brown, Marcel Pagnol, Blaise Cendrars, Jean Cocteau, Albert Camus... and Guida!"


"MIRABEAU - Inside the Law Courts Building, the statue of Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Marquis & Count of Mirabeau. A writer, popular orator and statesman"


"OLD TOWN STREETS"


"ALBERTAS' FOUNTAIN - It was not until the 19th century that the square was used as a setting for a fountain"


"PLACE RICHELME (MARKET PLACE) - The oldest square in Aix-en-Provence"


"THE CLOCK TOWER - Former belfry of the town and symbol of local government power, the tower spans the street on Roman foundations. Erected in 1505, it houses an astronomic clock built in 1661"


"HOTEL DE VILLE - From 1655 to 1670 Pierre Pavillon and Jean-Claude Rambot, sculptors and architects, established this building"

20 comments:

Annie said...

When I was a young college student I had the chance to go perform, with a group, in Aix en Provence. But I was young and foolish and decided to get married instead. My mother, wiser than I, took my place on the trip. She said it was wonderful. I'll have to show her your photos to see what memories they stir for her.

Aditi said...

wonderful descriptions

Peter said...

Again an extremely well documented post concerning a wonderful place, a place where you would have liked to do your studies!

Jilly said...

Just love Aix. Super post as are all of yours.

thanks for visiting Monte Carlo DP. You'll find something good to eat on Menton DP!

Nazzareno said...

To look at your photograph is a fine manner to know the world.

Steve Buser said...

What a tour. And you are an exquisite tour guide.

--steve buser
New Orleans Daily Photo

Nikon said...

Beautiful series as usual :)
Thanks for visiting Hemingway - I left a reply there to your comment.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

beautiful place.....so much to see and soak in...and loved the paintings too.....:)

hope u find time for a next vacation soon :)

lv2scpbk said...

Looks like a great place. I really like the clock tower and the church photo. Looks like you are right on today too with todays theme. I see a photo of your wife eating. Is this breakfast? It looks more like lunch or dinner though.

Cuckoo said...

Wonderful description, matching with equally nice pictures. Now, I feel like going there.

I liked the paintings very much.

Your wife seems to be very happy to have that in her plate. :)

Shionge said...

Hiya pal..thank you for your well-wishes at my blog, I'm resting now :D

I've never tried escargots but sure looks yummy :D

Nice paintings & of course nice photos too :D

Alex said...

What would be Provence without Cezanne and its famous favorite subject Mont Sainte Victoire?
Great shot.

Marie said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a very nice comment on it.

I love this part of the country. It is so close from where I live. I don't visit it often though.

Your wife is very pretty and she seems to be your favorite model......

Meg said...

Market place in France.... Sigh...... One day....

Lori said...

I love those paintings! And the escargot photo is making me very hungry. That looked like a wonderful trip!

kuanyin333 said...

Yes, I turned the comments off, and then they didn't want to get turned back on! Provence is one of my all time favorite places, and if my Provence girlfriend gets her wish, I may one day be living there. Thanks for reminding me of how much I love it there with your beautiful photos.

freefalling said...

I like the map you have put at the bottom of your page showing all the countries you have visited.
I was very surprised to see you haven't been to India!

isa said...

Love the Market Place in Aix!

Guida looks totally unimpressed by her famous predecessors ;-)

What is the rumor I hear about you working this weekend? Must I remind you of Oscar Wilde's "work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do"!

Anonymous said...

I need to go to southern France, and your photos confirm it.

Anonymous said...

Annie,
So you lost the chance to be at the Festival in Aix? Well, anyhow that was supposed to be for a good cause... ;)
Hope your mother had good memories from Aix, and liked to see some of these pictures!

Aditi,
Thanks. I'm still thinking about your post on lurks ("lurkers, people who visit my blog daily never commenting")...

Peter,
True, that Aix, further to being an incredibly interesting town, has a vibrant academic community, and an important history, in particular for law researchers and among these, for those involved in constitutional law... Great place to go!

Jilly,
Thanks. I’m glad to have discovered your blogs!

Nazzareno,
That’s very kind of you; actually I would love to be able to draw the attention to some of the beautiful places still around us...

Steve,
Thanks also; I always think that, in the end, if I waive or retire, tour guide could be an option; even on a voluntary basis.

Nikon,
Look forward to seeing your new posts on Papa’s blog! Couldn’t find the answer you mentioned.

Moi,
Glad you also loved the paintings; I remember that when I was a teenager there was a huge exhibition in Lisbon – “100 years of French Paintings” – and the poster and front of the catalogue showed one of the versions of Cezanne’s Card Players. Stunning!
Also hope to find some time for a short vacation, at least...

Lv2,
Actually, it was dinner. Starter: Escargots (snails)...

Cuckoo,
Thanks. I note your distance about having "that (snails…) in her plate"; It’s good! Even Julia Roberts had it on Pretty Woman, with a fantastic scene of the "flying" snail at Beverly Wilshire...

Shionge,
Glad you’re recovering and feeling well! Take care!

Alex,
On target! Cezanne (Van Gogh, and other painters) did a lot for Provence, but Provence gave them a lot also… Thanks for your first comment here!

Marie,
You’re always welcome! Guida thanks for the compliment; actually we’ve been taking pictures of each other for thirty seven years now, and you may see how we gained some weight from the early 70s (Blogtrotter 70s&80s) till now...

Meg,
Time to come… One day, I’ll also return to New Zealand!

Lori,
Escargots usually raise some diverse reactions; interesting to know that they made you hungry... I also like them!

Kuanyin,
So when you decide to spend a million Euro and come closer, let us know; there is also a small part of Paradise this side of the Atlantic... Thanks for dropping by!

Freefalling,
Yeah, I’m ashamed, but never managed to get to India, and now it’s becoming so hard to get some vacation, in particular outside the monsoon season...

Isabella,
You’re right: escargots, foie-gras, truffles, champagne, caviar… make predecessors absolutely dreary!
Wilde was right! So silly: stuff reading, paper drafting...

Ruth,
I’m sure you’ll enjoy!