Samaritaine*

It wasn't the first time she saw him. But this was the first time she really noticed him and his spaniel.

She glanced back. Yes, he was there, still smiling, a tall, brown haired man, wearing sunglasses in this weather. She could see his green turtle neck from under his beige Mac. The dog looked wet and a bit sad, maybe he wanted home already. She felt her own dog jerking the leash to turn around. The guy's dog must be male.

How bizarre, she thought, there, on the bank of the Seine, under the pouring rain, these two strangers decided to walk their dogs. There was no one else around, no passerbys. Was he following her? She knew she'd seen him somewhere else but where? Maybe in the park,but now she really saw him : tall, taller thant her but just the perfect size. Where did that thought come from? He was quite good looking, square chin, brown hair, but she chouldn't see his eyes.

He was comming towards her, she could hear his footspteps on the wet pavement. And there was no one else under the rain. She was intrigued. Strangely enough it didn't even cross her mind to be afraid, she was actually fascinated by this guy and his dog.

The man's smile didn't falter as she half turned towards him. She started walking towards him then. He stopped. He was now looking at her with his brown, soft eyes, still that smile on his lips as if he knew her. She wanted to ask "Where? Who? Why?" but she found herself smiling as well.

She was now looking straight at him. She did know him, she'd known him for a while now. He also lived on the Rive Gauche, perhaps somewhere on the other side of the square from where her flat was(why it was called a square when it was round, she didn't know).

She'd seen him in the street, probably going to work, always fashionable, sometimes in a hurry. She knew he was French, but she never knew his name. How many times did they cross eachother in bakeries and tailor shops? How many times did they walk the dogs in the same park, sat on the same bench, at different hours, different days. How many times did they almost meet?

"Bonjour"

"Bonjour, vous"

"On se connait?"

"Maintenant, si"

*Samaritaine is the name of a famous Parisian Department store, bigger than La Fayette and Le Printemps, it was the place for fashionable and expensive shopping before it was closed for "rebuilding" in 2005. Actually it was a move to restructure the personnel and transform it into office and apartment building so this fashionistas' paradise never reopened. These pictures were in the window of the shop in summer of 2006.

Nympheas

Look at what I have in my garden. The weekend was warm, so I was able to stay by the pond, listening to the ducks, reading a book. Unfortunately the weather is back to being gloomy and rainy so I don't know how many pretty pictures I'll be able to take while sitting in my garden, so enjoy.

I haven't felt as happy as while I was lounging next to this pond, on the grass, soft wind and a warm light. Time stood still.

This reminded me of another special moment. I have admired Monet's paintings at The Orangerie, the purpose built museum in Paris. I spent hours just admiring the colors of the huge canvases exhibited there. He painted some of these wonders while practically blind. I feel a bit like a painter when I was taking the picture below. I'm really sorry I don't have any bit of talent at painting. Suddenly Monet seems so realistic, though.

The pond in front of my house reminded me of Monet having focused his last 30 years on paintings of water lilies in his garden. He was almost blind towards the end, and I think that it must be soothing for a painter to have not darkness in front, but wonderful images of the sky reflected on a pond of water lilies.

A colorful journey - Mary Cassatt

If you’ve accessed the search engine Google on Friday the 22nd, you have certainly seen the change in the logo, marking the 165th anniversary of Mary Cassatt’s birth. If you haven’t clicked on the logo to learn more, shame on you, you’ve missed a glimpse into a world of tranquility and color, a journey back into childhood and summer holidays.

First of all : I’m a painting buff, so get used to some talk about paintings, after all this is my place, so I write about whatever interests me. I can’t help drooling in front of a beautiful painting and I’ve been known to spend hours in museums just looking at the impressionist masters. There…that's the truth, like it or not, I'll spend more time in a museum than in a shop (with the possible exception of H&M, but that's different).

This being said, I have to mention that my parents’ bookcase holds many treasures. Among those, an art album with American impressionist painters, that’s how I became fascinated with Mary Cassatt’s work. Browsing the glossy pages I came by something spectacular, games of light and colour that really fascinated me. And this little girl, Sarah:

And another image so you can really see what I'm talking about. She often made portaits of her sisters or brothers, their children, people on the street, but also hired models to pose. So there are several versions of the same painting, or the same person at different ages. Sarah certainly had a lot of paintings done of her.

I don't know what became of Sarah, I think she was a niece of Cassatt's. She remaind's me of a picture I saw of my mum at about the same age, and maybe that's where the fascination came from. Other than that, I love the wamth that surrounds the painting, and of course, the little dog. I find the painting typical of Mary Cassatt's style: she had a deep understanding of children and women and these where her subjects of choice, doing normal things.

Cassatt thought marriage was incompatible with her career and despite a long lasting relationship with French painter Degas, she never married or had children. She painted mostly portets and scenes related to every day life, glimpses of quiet, tranquil living, many portaits of women with their children.Cassatt was close to the Impressionist, exhibiting with them and being active in their movement. Her use of colors and light is apparent of such a relationship. Under their inspiration, she took her work outside the workshop, always carrying a sketch book and this can be seen in her painting: snapshots of life.

She was a modern woman, refusing the gender discriminations of her time, she did her best to brake boundaries. It was said she was too outspoken for her own good, although less so with age. When she was unhappy with the learning she received at the Academy, she took it upon herself to improve and study the Old Masters. Cassatt travelled extensively through Europe, considering the only way to succed is to broaden your horizons.

What fascinated me was her use of colors. Although this was one of the things that was criticated during her lifetime, I find that the bright colors and warm tones bring the subjects to life.

All the pictures are from Wikipedia, where you will also find more information on Mary Cassatt and the Impressionists. Also worth a look, the American Impressionists.