blog entry from my travel journal (http://www.bertnlou.blogspot.com/)
We arrived in Nice, France around noon from Avignon, following another spectacular train ride through Provence with its abundant soft rolling terrain, vineyards and spotted villages in the distance to arrive in the warm sunny coastline of the Cote d'Azur.
Based in Nice for three nights, we had a chance to see and visit a lot of the surrounding area and the weather couldn't have been well...nicer! There were lots of French, German and Belgian tourists here to soak up the rays on weekend trips. The building above is an apartment located across the street from our hotel. Situated on a corner of the street, I loved the lines of the building, it's windows, shutters, iron detail and the soft colours that rose up from street level like a piece of art.
Speaking of art, it is here in Nice, that Bert and I went off on our own to wander through the backstreets and wind our way to the Chagall Musee for a visit. Working five seasons at Mission Hill Family Estate as a wine educator was not only an amazing opportunity to broaden my appreciation for wine, viticulture and the beauty of our Okanagan region; it opened my eyes to the beauty of architecture, what's possible with a committed vision, and the artistic connection that develops when you allow yourself to be swept away by the colours, shapes and intricacies of a beautiful work of art.
As part of some of our tours at Mission Hill, I would regularly take guests in to see the ‘showstopper’, an original Marc Chagall tapestry entitled "Animal Tales". The large tapestry is a collage of Marc Chagall's paintings and works from the 1960's and 70's and was woven by Yvette Cauquil-Prince. It is one of only twenty nine commissioned Chagall Tapestries. Part of Mission Hill Estate Proprietor Anthony Von Mandl's private collection, the Chagall tapestry is housed in a beautiful reception room, draping over the main facing wall and presiding over an almost cathedral-like space. Explaining its nuances and history to varied guests, was an interesting experience for me. Some guests could care less, saw it as rug on the wall....but ...some would stand there, chin dropped and mouth wide open and you could literally hear them gasp for a breath.
You could never tell who was going to ‘get it’ and who wouldn't. They came from all walks of life.
What do I mean by 'get it'?
I describe it as the 'little-hairs-stand-up-on-your-arms tingling sensation' when you stumble upon something that really moves you. The feeling that you know you’re in the presence of something very special and rare. To immerse yourself in the artist’s canvas and to let the story unravel as you take it all in is a wonderful journey. I never got tired of showing or talking about the Chagall Tapestry at Mission Hill, I also got to sense others delight in discovering it too.
I didn't realize how much Chagall’s artistic vision meant to me till I saw a collection of his works in various formats and applications all housed in this small museum in Nice France. With Bert by my side, we walked quietly amidst the stark white gallery walls taking in the collection of his paintings, a tapestry, stained glass, lithographs and more. The audioguide was essential and gave perspective to everything we saw.
That 'got it' sensation returned for me when we stood in the hexagonal room in the Chagall museum surrounded by the brilliant reds and pink hues and sweeping brushstrokes of 5 of his works from the 'Songs of Songs' old testament collection. My eye followed the canvasses from left to right, up and down all while classical music played through my audioguide, encouraging me to linger and imagine Chagall’s frame of mind as he created these fluid, vibrant stories of love. The mix of visually seeing these masterpieces up close and this hauntingly beautiful music through my headphones overwhelmed me. I caught myself holding my chest, and catching my breath and looking for a place to sit. Bert looked at me worriedly when tears welled up in my eyes as I sat on the bench, mouth wide open and eyes still moving from canvas to canvas. I told him, 'don't worry I'm fine' and squeezed his hand. The only other thing I could spit out was 'It’s just so beautiful’.
I have never studied art or art history.
My exposure to the world of art is very limited, but that doesn't matter.
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.
'I got it'.
and I'm so glad I did.
From the MUSEE NATIONAL MESSAGE BIBLIQUE Marc Chagall,
a photo of Le Cantique des Canitques IV, part of the Song Of Songs Collection
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