A MONTH IN PROVENCE: EAT, SEE, LISTEN
Elizabeth Handley, accredited lecturer with The Arts Society (NADFAS), United Kingdom
Monday 27–Wednesday 29 January 11.15 am COURSE FEES R330; Staff and students R165
Travelling through Provence, surrounded by fields of lavender and sunflowers, vineyards and olive groves, it is easy to see how these magnificent landscapes provided inspiration for so many artists in various fields of creative endeavour.
Participants will be taken on a fascinating journey through time from the Roman era to the present, as they enjoy the work of such creative figures as Mistral, Pagnol, Cézanne and Milhaud, all born in Provence, as well as significant visitors to the area. The south of France had a profound impact on artistic sentiments and perception, resulting in beautiful works of art; the invention of paints in tubes enabled painters to work en plein air, fuelled by fine fare from the local markets. The impact of light, temperature, cuisine and landscape clearly played a significant role in original creativity – artistic, musical and literary.
The first lecture begins with the earliest evidence of human habitation in Provence during the Palaeolithic and Neolithic Ages. After focusing on the arrival of the Celts, we discuss the enormous contribution of the Romans to the architecture and engineering marvels of Provence, mostly in the form of massive structures, and their disappearance during the ‘migration period’ (Barbarian invasions). Continuing with the Middle Ages, the Schools of Avignon (the Avignon Papacy) and Nice will be explored, concluding with the Renaissance.
The journey through time continues with the work of other brilliant visitors to Provence such as British painters Turner and Thomas Whitcombe, the Frenchmen Vernet, Fragonard and David, composer Hector Berlioz, and authors including Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, the infamous Marquis de Sade and then later Prosper Mérimée (author of Bizet’s Carmen).
The final lecture explores the work of the French Impressionist and Modernist painters drawn to Provence by the glorious climate, scenery, food and culture. From French to visiting writers, composers, painters and poets from elsewhere, sunny Provence has inspired them all.
Lecture titles
- Romans to Renaissance
- The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
- The Impressionists and modern creatives
TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/performance.aspx?itemid=1554718887