Shadow Shot Sunday 130 - St Paul de Vence

Another splendid shadowy Autumnal scene in the heart of the medieval village of St Paul de Vence. What is this space awaiting so patiently??

A hearty afternoon game of Boules of course.....and here is more Boules being played outside a cafe on the coastal path in Cap D'Ail complete with pumpkins and Autumn foliage...

I am so enjoying this season which I haven't witnessed for over six years. For more shadow shots from around the world click here for Shadow Shot Sunday. 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!

Shadow Shot Sunday 129 - St Paul de Vence

The Riviera is ablaze with Autumn colours at present, so here is a Shadow Shot featuring an Autumnal theme......

To see more shadow shots from around the world, click here for Tracey's weekly meme from Brisbane, Australia. Enjoy!

Musee Renoir - Cagnes-Sur-Mer

I visited the Musee Renoir in Cagnes-Sur-Mer on a gloriously sunny Autumn Day with bright blue skies and Fall foliage making it quite clear why an artist would choose this place to live and paint....

Renoir spent the final years of his life here, and inside the house you can view twelve of his original paintings on display, as well his studio complete with the wheel chair from which he painted...

For me the interior of the house was of mild interest compared to the beautiful garden setting with rolling vistas across to the medieval village of Haut Cagnes-Sur-Mer. The gardens are full of palm trees, orange trees, and mature olive trees which in Autumn were just stunningly beautiful...

Musee Renoir is located in the town of Cagnes-Sur-Mer easily reached by train or bus from Nice (Number 200, 400 or 500) The museum is open daily from 10am -6pm except Tuesdays (and beware it is also closed from 12-2pm).

Shadow Shot Sunday 128 - Eze

Some stark, sharp shadows and piercing brillliant blue skies from the picturesque perched village of Eze this week....

For more shadow shots from around the world check out the weekly meme Shadow Shot Sunday. Click HERE. Enjoy!!

It's all Greek to me..............

With its stunning setting on a promontory jutting out into the sea from Beaulieu, and a backdrop of mountains, Villa Kerylos immediately captures the imagination. On closer inspection, one realises just how interesting this particualr villa is - a perfect imitation of the 2nd Century BC noble houses on the Island of Delos in Ancient Greece.....

The Villa was commissioned by passionate Hellenist, Theodore Reinach, a French archaeologist married to Fanny who was a member of the famed Ephrussi family. The house was designed by architect Emmanuel Pontremoli, and took six years to build during the Riviera Belle Epoque era 1902 - 1908....

Built around a peristyle (central courtyard) of twelve Carrera marble columns, it contains many furnished rooms complete with Greek artistic treasures, murals, and the most lovely mosaic floors throughout. I love the mosaic floor of the dining room with these beautiful details of creatures from the sea....

As well as the peristyle, the series of rooms include the dining room, bedrooms, mosaic bathrooms, and a beautiful library....

The word Kerylos means halcyon or kingfisher in Ancient Greek - a bird of good omen. The house was bequeathed by Reinach on his death to the Institut of France in 1928. His descendents lived here until 1967, after which it became a museum....

My favourite mosaic in the house is this one of Theseus defeating the Minotaur. Isn't it charming and delightful??

The Villa is located in the town of Beaulieu between Nice and Monaco easily reached by train or the 100 bus. Entry is 9 Euros, but you can also buy a 15 Euro combined ticket for here and the nearby Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild which is also well worth a visit. Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday -127 - Port Cap D'Ail

After a week of the wildest, wettest, windiest weather, it is lovely to see the sun back shining on the Riviera, and bathing the coast in its usual colours of bright, bright blue - azure and cobalt. The coastal paths are open again, and a forty minute walk from my apartment by the sea, brings me to the harbour at Cap D'Ail - the border between France and Monaco. The calm seas at the port were offering up some clear, patterned reflections and shadows....

For more shadow shots from around the world, check out Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 126 - Beaulieu

Harking back with autumn nostalgia to just a few weeks ago when the beaches were full of sunworshippers soaking up the maximum of rays on a very late summer afternoon. Now it is Autumn and the seasons are changing, but I am looking forward to what those seasonal changes will bring to the Riviera. For more shadow shots from around the world, check out Tracey's Shadow Shot Sunday hosted so admirably down under in Brisbane. Enjoy!!