France 2014: Road Trip to Seillans

The village of Seillans (which we learned is pronounced "Say-yon" and not "Sell-ann" as we thought)  is about 20 minutes east of our home base in Bargemon.  We had to drive through it multiple times en route to other destinations further away, taking note each time of the large sign promoting "Artistes et Artisans d'Art".   Finally, on one of our last road trips before leaving Bargemon, we made a point to visit Seillans and the neighbouring village of Tourettes (which I'll save for the next blog). 

There was a huge photography exhibit being held in one of the galleries, with multiple artists showing works with very different styles and themes.  There were vintage images of Italy, a whimsical series featuring toys and dolls, a set of black and white wildlife photos and more.

Another set of photographs of nature and scenery could be found hanging outside on the stone walls along the narrow streets of the village.  In fact, there was art to be found everywhere we turned, from painted doors to sculptures to intricate carvings on stone planter boxes.

Max Ernst was a German painter and sculptor who is known as one of the pioneers of the Dada and Surrealist movements.  In the last 12 years of his life, Ernst and his fourth wife Dorothea Tanning lived and worked in Seillans.  Upon Ernst's death, Tanning donated a collection of his final prints, lithographs and etchings to the village.  These pieces are permanently exhibited in the Waldberg museum which also features works by Tanning and their friend and neighbour, Polish painter Stan Appenzeller.  In addition to his pictures, there is a bed made of walnut, alderwood and brass rails with a mink bedspread that was designed by Ernst.  At first I thought that this might be the bed that the couple slept in, but it is more likely that this was a beautiful "sculptural" art-piece.

Since this museum focused on Ernst's later works, there were not many (any?) examples of his earlier Surrealist paintings which can be found in larger galleries around the world like the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Tate Gallery in London.  Instead there were mostly lithographs and a collection that he called "Oiseaux en Peril" (Birds of Peril) which were etchings printed with aquatint colours.  In several of the pieces, the drawing was shown before and after the colours were added and a poem accompanied the work.

Dorothea Tanning was quite an accomplished Surrealist painter in her own right, even though her works and career were overshadowed by her more famous husband.  While her early paintings were more explicit and figurative, over the years her work became more abstract but always suggestive of the female form.

Stan Appenzeller painted watercolour landscapes in the early years, and then moved on to what has been described as "paintings of observation".  There were multiple paintings of diners, party-goers and other revelers in night clubs and music halls and a religious-themed work depicting the crucifixion.  The one constant through these different themes are the vibrant colours that he used in his art.

While in Seillans, we had lunch on the outdoor patio of the restaurant Chez Hugo, where we feasted on artichoke terrine and lamb with roast potato and roasted garlic.  We found that we would eat a larger lunch during our outings and then just eat a salad or something lighter for dinner once we got home.  Next to the restaurant was a pottery shop that was displaying cute ceramic chickens by the doorway that attracted my attention.  We went to check it out after lunch and fell in love with this vintage water pitcher (used for mixing with cassis) that was painted with gorgeous shades of blues and greens.  It was made by Denbac, a French Art Pottery company that produced high-fired glazed stoneware between 1909-1952.  Although we had already bought our fill of pottery, glassware and other souvenirs, we could not resist adding this to our collection of loot to take home.

On the way home from Seillans, we stopped by the Domaine Stalenq olive oil orchard, whose sign we had also passed by each time we drove west from Bargemon.  The proprietor was Austrian and spoke perfect English and provided us with a good explanation about the difference between fruité verte (green) olives vs Fruité mûr (mature or ripe).  We were able to sample the different olive oils and were told that really good ones would have a peppery after-taste in your throat.  She showed us the gold medal award that their oil had won in the 2014 New York International Olive Oil Competition.  With such a great pedigree, we had to buy a couple of cans.