Episode 33: Art and Life on the Midi - Antibes, Picasso, de Stael, Matisse
Next Instalment from the Padova to Paris Journey Podcast Series
Welcome to Episode 33: Antibes, France
This little foray into the south of France was a delight to write up once the writing process began. I couldn’t hold back but take a deep dive into the French Riveria and its artistic legacy which indeed is quite vast. When I discovered a few years back that the Picasso Museum was on the train line somewhere between Nice and Marseille in France well it was a given. There is much to say that is undoubtable and there a number of directions one could go in. In truth Antibes, Juan Les Pins came on my radar over the past few years after reading about Pablo Picasso and Francoise Gilot.
Later I discovered the writings of Picasso’s biographer John Richardson and the film Surviving Picasso. This particular share is full of art and life and of course the joy of a family day free to travel in the delightful city of Antibes on the Cote D’Azur; something I would recommend to any one who loves a deep blue sky and a seascape that travel dreams are made of.
Shownotes:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A Memoir of Picasso, Provence, and Douglas Cooper by John Richardson
French Riveria and Its Artists: Art, Literature, Love, and Life on the Cote D’Azur by John Baxter
Nicolas de Stael - In Provence by Hotel de Caumont Centre d’Art Aix-en-Provence
Antibes: A Short History of Architecture Editions du Cardo
Life With Picasso by Francoise Gilot and Carlton Lake**
Still Life with Three Fish, Moray and Green Lemon on a White Background, September 28, 1946 by Pablo Picasso / Musee Picasso, Antibes
A Journey into Matisse’s South of France by Laura McPhee
Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait (2017 Pappi Corsicato & Tommaso Gallone) - Netflix - very good, John Richardson with Julian Schnabel is a touching scene, I love this portrait of Schnabel’s colourful life in general is quite fascinating…
Provence 1970: M.F.K Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard and the Reinvention of AmericanTaste by Luke Barr**
**On Audible or Audio if you like to listen to books….
Pablo Picasso
Le Faune au manteau violet
Golfe-Juan, 2 September 1946
Film Option: Surviving Picasso James Ivory 1996
Based on the book - Picasso: Creator and Destroyer by Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington**
Musée Picasso, Antibes
Visit: www.antibesjuanlespins.com
A detail of the Nicolas de Stael work - Le Concert, March 1955 - left in his studio in Antibes after he died.
Music Composed by Richard Johnston
Just to wander around each small shop, there are tempting discoveries around every corner. I see boxes of clams and oysters with not only the cost, but ‘origine’, Normandie indeed. On the side walk a box of ripe as they come, as perfect as can be Rouge de Marmande tomatoes just sitting there, an installation, a still life on a butter yellow wall, yes to everyday art.
Copyright 2021, Michelle Johnston
All Artwork and Podcast Material
“When a painter is obsessed by a view or an idea, no wind, no elements can stop him.”
