Three days of Matisse

We tore ourselves away from the Azure Coast today, and are now in Aix-en-Provence, the first city of this trip that I have never before visited. We feel as though we're walking through a Cezanne painting: perfectly slanted sunlight, various shades of coral and pink buildings, and lavender everywhere. We visited his atelier this afternoon, and I was mesmerized by the huge bay window taking up one entire wall of the studio. We agreed that admission was a little pricey, but felt like that was just an exqmple of cosmic balance: there was no admission fee at all for the Matisse museum we explored on Thursday.

The Musée Matisse featured work from all periods of the artist's life, including the very first still-life that he created. The current temporary exhibition was composed of works featuring Lydia Delectorskaya, his most-frequently depicted model and muse. In fact, there was a period of 4 years during which she was his only model, which we found hard to comprehend. In addition to finished or formal works, there was a section of the museum devoted to sketches, plans and drawings for the Rosary Chapel that he designed in Vence, a work which he completed in 1951, three years before his death, and considered his masterpiece. I had wanted to visit this chapel since the last time I was in Nice, so we took a little pilgrimage to this town up in the mountains yesterday afternoon. It was the simplest, most beautiful church I have ever had the pleasure to visit. A brought up the brilliant point that his four-year devotion to this religious project must be a product of deep faith, but that his unusual approach (for example, in not separating each of the 14 stations of the cross, but, instead, composing one large mural for this part of the sanctuary) demonstrates a willingness to stray from tradition, an interesting combination. I was reminded of Keith Haring's tryptich in St. John the Divine.

Finally, strolling Cour Mirabeau in Aix today, we happened upon an exhibition of his Jazz cut-outs! We feel fully Matisse-stepped.

Other than appreciating art, we spent our time in Nice soaking up some serious sun, checking out the night-life, and making some new friends: two women, one Brazilian and one French, named Lillian; a Lithuanian student and her American love-interest; and a British yachtie among them. We also found a bar with Kylie Minogue videos on repeat, roses painted on the ceiling and a fully functional shower...in the middle of the dance floor. Ooh, la, la: la France.