Busy seems to be the theme for the semester. Last weekend was great, as evidenced by my lack of an update. On Saturday we had a sortie in Arles and St. Remy, "In the Steps of Van Gogh"-- my favorite so far. These two provencal towns are where Van Gogh (pronounced Van Gog in French) completed most all of his famous works. At each site of the paintings, the towns have placed a sign with the painting so you can compare and contrast what has changed in the last century! It was pretty amazing to be at all of those sights in person. We started out at the outskirts of Arles in the ancient Roman cemetery. Apparently during the 19th century, it was the meeting spot for all the young couples in Arles. It was indeed beautiful. Besides, spring is finally starting to bloom in Provence, making the tree-lined paths even more impressive.
Next we heading into Arles to see the first asylum where Van Gogh stayed. The center has a beautiful garden and yellow arches. So picturesque! After a marché picque-nique in the park and delicious gelatto, we contined on to see the famous café terrace. Look familiar?
We also saw Roman ruins, where he painting the crowd without focusing on the actual setting. That was a common theme in his work; he was more interested in people and interactions than the setting, even if it is a historical monument. After following more of the "steps of Van Gogh," we arrived at the Rhone River, where he painted his first starry night. I'm not sure if this is part of the designated tour, but our prof pointed out the house where he sent his ear when he started to go crazy...
Following suit, we headed to St. Remy, where he went to the asylum after this incident. It was positively beautiful. It is still a psych hospital today, and the women who live there take art classes and sell there pieces in the gift shop, which was really neat to see. This is where he did a lot of his nature pieces, and we were in luck because the iris' and the olive tree were in bloom! All in all, it was a wonderful day with finally the famous typical Provencal weather I've been hearing about!
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