Day 41 & 43: Sites & "Getting Lost" in Monaco

On Monday I went with a group of people to several different areas/sites in Nice as a class assignment--Old Nice, chateau (really, they're chateau ruins) and a Russian orthodox church. I love the bright colors of the buildings around Nice. I wish I could have had more background information about the chateau/ruins before we went to find it. The church was really neat though! The iconography is interesting. I told Rachel that it is fun to compare the art of the Byzantine era with the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The changes that came about with the Renaissance with the Roman Catholic church and the continuity and consistency of Eastern Orthodox to Byzantine styles is pretty interesting. After so much time has passed, it has remained virtually the same.

Russian Orthodox Church in Nice

Old Nice

Today Grace, Judy and I went to Monaco. We didn't actually get lost, but we were flaneuses--we didn't have a specific walk we needed to do, we just needed to get a feel for the environment and notice what was around us. It started as an adventure getting to the right bus station and going around Nice with a cranky bus driver. But we did make it to Monaco, standing all the way. Grace and Judy got off and then the doors shut so I got off at the next stop. :) We met up about 5 minutes later. We walked through Old Monaco, through the cathedral where Grace Kelly is buried (they have signs everywhere with her picture and captions in several different languages telling what she did at that place), and then we walked around some more. Monaco was cool, it wasn't entirely what I was expecting after hearing that it is such a rich place to live. It seemed pretty dirty and cramped to me. I wouldn't really want to live there, sandy beaches and all. But whatever, to each his own.

I just thought this sign was funny :)

Grace Kelly is buried here

Day 40: Matisse & Chagall

After church we went to the Musee Matisse and the Musee Chagall (because they are free on the first Sunday of each month...maybe every Sunday but definitely the first Sunday). The Musee Matisse was interesting; there were a couple of paintings that I particularly liked his brushstrokes and/or use of color that I took a picture of (before I realized that taking pictures was interdit (forbidden)). His work reminded me a lot of the way that kids look at art and the world. I think that using Matisse's work as an example of line, color and shape would be really important to help kids understand those elements but also to help motivate older grades to actually try to be artistic.

The Musee Chagall was fantastic! I didn't know what to expect and as such I was thoroughly wowed by what I saw. He depicts a lot of Bible scenes and his layout and plot narrative and symbolism are very interesting. His use of color is phenomenal! I don't even know how he creates and uses color in the way that he does. I really like his work. He may actually have become my favorite artist--even more than Vermeer. I bought a book with his Bible paintings because I liked those so much.

I can't believe that I go back to Provo in six days. It has gone by so very very quickly. Ending the program in Nice has been a wonderful blessing though. The weather is so so wonderful. I swam in the Mediterranean yesterday. The water was the perfect temperature. And the beach is rocky so we didn't get sand everywhere. These next five days are going to fly by but I hope to enjoy every minute of it.