Dessine-moi un mouton
La vieux port - Honfleur. Picture TR. Notice the light?
I read once - sometime ago - that Impressionist artists loved the quality of the light in Honfleur, Normandy. The way it arrives sharply from the estuary, dapples on the water, shards through the slate tiled buildings. I think my photograph (above) of the old harbour might actually demonstrate this.
Yes dear readers, we’re into one of Tim’s infrequent forays into art criticism. But, like some overfed, underbred Yorkshireman holding forth after several pints of frothy ale and a chicken madras, “I know what I like.”* The rest of this article may be a bit rough and ill-focused. Bit like Impressionism, in fact.
Normandy plays an important role in the development of impression art. Impressionists, when they weren’t trying to get unemployed actresses to take their clothes off for ‘life studies’, liked to paint out of doors - en plein air - and so light, and the quality of it, was really important. When I was younger I used to claim I liked impressionist artists. It was fashionable. However, as my tastes have matured and become designedly my own, I’m less enamoured these days. I prefer a more literal approach to painting which can then be interpreted.
My notes from Honfleur are a little more damning - as befitting being written in a bar “Impressionism seems to be an artist forgetting how to paint and covering this with obfuscation and swirls.”
Yes, I’ve just had a short break in Normandy. Honfleur is where one of the godfathers of impressionism, Eugene Bodin, was born. There’s a pretty good museum in the town dedicated to his work and other Impressionists. Extolling the light thereabouts, Bodin dragged a coterie of young men in the latter part of the nineteenth century to this part of France. Men like Claude Monet. And together they painted - and repainted - seascapes, beaches, harbours and buildings, of Honfleur and other towns along the Côte Fleurie. Outside and capturing the light, you see.
So, wearing my polo neck sweater, pea coat and artistic flat cap, I visited the Eugene Bodin musée in Honfleur and the somewhat grander musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. Both have large Impressionist collections. Frankly, I’m all Pissaro’d and Sisley’d out. I had the freedom to be slow, to be quick, to linger over paintings, to pass by those that don’t interest me (basically fruit and biblical allegories). Both galleries are worth a visit. Both have non Impressionistic paintings.
One thing I noticed though. Everyone who holds a painting stick seems to have had a go at rendering The Bell Tower in Honfleur. Hell me too… So let’s compare Monet and Robson shall we? First up Claude:-
Clock tower Honfleur - Monet
Not bad Monet - bit squiggly for my tastes though. More bell-end than bell tower.
Now me… I literally did the drawing opposite in 30 seconds. I bet Monet took days to do his misjudged dab-fest. Piece of piss this art game.
But the gods of talent asked me to choose between art and literary fame. I chose both and so got neither. However, some vestiges of skill still remain. More in the written word than the art world to be honest but - I’m available for commissions. I don’t charge much.
Same goes for my gigalo skills.
So, what pictures would I recommend from those I saw?
The monumental Le Martyre de Sainte Agnes - Joseph Court 1864 (shown above in Rouen, picture TR). Clearly the Roman theme attracted me. Diocletian was one of the better emperors but became a bit of a bastard towards the Christians in his final years.
Place de la Haut-Vielle Tour a Rouen - Guiseppe Canella 1824.
Rouen Cathedral. Grey - Claude Monet. This one grew on me. As it walked way from it, the indistinct shapes became whole and I - for once - got impressionism.
Hetraie a La Côte de Grâce - Eugene Bodin (can’t find this online). One of his better ones. Can’t remember it though. This is a great article, isn’t it?
Francois Louise Francious - Les Netres de La Côte de Grâce (can’t find this online.) I’ve decided I like pictures of tress. In particular, I like pictures of trees in Autumn.
Finally, one of my favourite French songs - Draw me a sheep (Dessine-Moi Un Mouton)
* Actually, digression alert, I was born in Yorkshire. Can’t do the accent though. When I try it sounds like some generic ‘trouble at t’mill’ version of a Northern accent soft southerners do to entertain themselves with at posh dinner parties when the subject of Brexit voters come up.
The Roman Theatre at Lillebonne
I was in France last week. In Normandy to be precise. I'll probably write later about the CItie de la Mer in Cherbourg or Omaha Beach or Etretat but today I want to quickly mention Lillebonne.
Lillebonne is a small town near the mouth of the Seine, about 30km from Le Havre. It has a pretty well preserved Roman theatre (one might also say amphitheatre). After Caesar subjugated the Gauls in the 50's BC, Juliobona - as Lillebonne then was - grew in importance in Roman northern Gaul.
As well as the usual forum and bath house, Juliobona sported a theatre that held an audience of around 5000. This was built by the Romans in the first century BC.
It was used for the next three centuries until the various waves of barbarian invaders gradually caused its ruin in the fifth century AD. The population by then were more concerned with fortifying the town against the marauding Goths, Huns and Franks than watching classic Greek plays or contempory satires (and yes, probably some cruelty).
So the town and the amusements declined and were left for ruins for 1500 years. And yet, here it is still! Rediscovered in the 19th century, partially standing, the theatre rises anew reminding us yet of the power of western civilisation. But also cautions us about it's decline. When I went last week it was beautiful day, hot, humid, a late spring day full of flowers and dappled sky. The grounds are immaculately kept, you can wander around at will and gaze at the Roman' architectural skill so many years later.
And - the cost is zero. If you are in the area pop in and take a look around. There's even a Norman castle hidden behind the oaks of the town's park. This - not the subterrainean theatre - was sketched by Turner on one of his forays into Europe:-
Turner's painting of the Norman Castle LIllebonne 1832 shows the hollow beneath where the Roman Theatre would later be excravated.
The castle still stands - a snag toothed ruin hidden from view but the star of the show now is its older cousin - the Roman Theatre.
“Every calamity is to be overcome by endurance.”
Je suis en vacances....
A view of Honfleur that is not the old harbour.
Crepes, cidre, galettes... Yes, I must be back in Normandy (with a brief trip to Brittany next door).
Went to the Caen Memorial musee today. Wanted my kids to understand what previous generations of British, Americans and Canadians did to liberate Europe. We forget so soon. I think a longer blogpost is called for on this subject and this excellent French museum (I always think the French do these things very well).
But, until then, another cidre and see you soon!
Tim