Antibes Azur - the blue is back...

There's a very good reason why the French Riviera is called the "Cote D'Azur" and on the last day of March, the blue was certainly back in all its glory.....

You can see why these beautiful blues inspired artists who flocked to paint the light here, be it Picasso...

or Catalonian artist Jaume Plensa with his "Nomade" forever looking out to sea....

Antibes truly in azur!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 178 - Antibes

A shady, shadowy little green corner tucked away in the back streets of old Antibes.....

A contrast to the showy, striking blues which are usually on offer here....

For more shadow shots this week click HERE for SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY - Enjoy!

Shadow Shot Sunday 166 - Antibes

Where can you find this bold shadow writing gracing the ground with its striking alphabet?? On the ramparts of Antibes on a glorious October day with the sun shining and a bright blue cobalt sky..

The white letters against the blue sky and the black letters on the grey ground make a strikingly bold artistic statement...

The sculpture is called "Nomade" and is by Spanish contemporary artist Jaume Plensa from Barcelona. His work is displayed to strong effect in France, Spain and UK and his sculptures in Place Massena, Nice have already featured in this blog...

Looking out to sea from the rampants of Antibes, the sculpture seems irresistable to human interaction with children using it as a climbing frame, and adults enjoying all the angles and perspectives it affords....

For more shadow shots this week, click here for Shadow Shot Sunday - Enjoy!!

Cap D'Antibes - Walking the coastal paths...

Beach weather has arrived here on the Riviera, but my favourite thing to do is walk the coastal paths before it gets too hot. I have already walked from Cap D'Ail to Monaco numerous times, and also from Monaco to Menton, but there is also a pretty section round the Cap D'Antibes from Juan les Pins to Antibes itself....

Leaving the jaunty yellow umbrellas of Juan les Pins behind, the coastal path winds by harbours, bays, long stretches of sea, and tiny coves all with neverending vistas of blue....

....Oh and of course you pass by some pretty swanky villas too....

Next week, when my school is closed due to it being right on the Formula One Grand Prix route, I am going down to the Saint Raphael  and  St Tropez area to walk the coastal paths there....Watch this space!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 132 - Antibes

Here are a collection of decorative doorknobs and window widgets casting their fine shadows in Antibes and Cagnes-Sur-Mer on the French Riviera...

This post is for Tracey in Brisbane who has hosted Shadow Shot Sunday so wonderfully well for the past three years - her hosting will be sorely missed...

Fortunately the reins are being passed on so the meme will fortunately continue....check out the other shadow shots this week by clicking here. Enjoy!!

Musee Picasso - Antibes

The Musee Picasso is housed in the imposing Grimaldi Palace where the artist was given a studio when he returned to Antibes in 1946 after leaving wartime Paris. He spent his later life here infusing his work with Mediterranean light and joy.....

The seaviews from the Palace terraces are quite spectacular and must have been so inspiring for an artist. So many of the great French artists gravitated towards Provence and the Riviera to paint this light and colour.......

The Museum displays a wide range of Picasso's work from paintings, to sculpture, and ceramics...

The variety of ceramics is a particular highlight of the collection, and I really like these plates decorated with a range of faces and expressions....

One particular joyous work entitled "La Joie de Vivre" (1946), painted shortly after his arrival, depicts a lively mythological scene with the artist as the flute-playing centaur and Francoise Gilot as the dancing Maenad surrounded by leaping fauns and satyrs...

I am gradually working my way round all the galleries and museums on the Riviera as just so many artists were here. The Musee Picasso is well worth a visit (closed Tuesdays) as is the rest of Antibes. More on Antibes in a later post. Enjoy!