There is something strange in this area called ‘ The Mistral Wind’. It is a cold, relentless wind that can gust up to 60 mi/hr usually in the spring & winter. Convinced that it comes in multiples of 3 days, residents of Provence will tell you that the Mistral Wind blows for 3, 6, 9 or 12 days. ‘Le Mistral’ can cause tiresome headaches. Many a mother/wife will claim this wind creates bad behavior and a general restlessness in children, husbands and pets. Douglas thinks this is why Van Gogh’s painting style is wavy- it is really a representation of the movement of the wind in nature.
“Behind the Mistral is the beauty of Provence. Its fierceness blows away clouds and grime and doubt, leaving colours the depth of dreams and a freshness that can come only after the Mistral’s scouring. Provence needs the Mistral or it ceases to be the Provence of my dreams. I need the Mistral to cut through those dreams to truth – beauty comes after the wind.”
– Kamiah A. Walker, 2002
We started off the day with a Van Gogh walk where the tourism office has tried to match a particular site with the actual painting. Some of these worked better than others. This is because of the ‘slouching towards Bethlehem’ crawl of progress…there used to be a group of large pine trees here, now there is a stucco house. The photo below works really well.
Van Gogh committed himself to the mental institution in St. Remy, Monastère Saint-Paul de Mausole, (after cutting off part of his ear in Arles) which still houses patients today. He was there for 1 year and painted over 149 paintings + 100 drawings. Often the attendants allowed him to paint outside. Many believe his best work was done while he was institutionalized… he was probably bi-polar. Here is a popular Ted Talk that uses Van Gogh as a reference point for where the presenter wishes to jump off: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-unexpected-math-behind-van-gogh-s-starry-night-natalya-st-clair
So inspired by the light and thoughts of Vincent, we needed to see the real thing, his paintings. Unfortunately, there are none to be found in St. Remy, so off we went to Arles. Van Gogh lived in there before he checked himself into the crazy house. Rick Steve’s described Arles as feeling like Van Gogh’s dirty apartment and it does have more of a grunge feel to it than trendy St. Remy.
Once called the “little Rome of Gaul,” Arles, founded by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a strategic position at the crossroads between Italy and Spain. A number of Roman structures are still standing. Pics include the amphitheater (still used for bull fighting) and the theater (used for outdoor concerts). We have discovered that bull fighting in France is different than in Spain- It is more humane — it is more or less, ‘flag football’ with a bull against the ‘bull fighter’. No human or animal get hurts, other than maybe the human’s feelings if s/he can’t grab the flag off the bull or if he doesn’t jump out of the way on time.
The “Fondation Van Gogh Arles” is a beautiful new museum that opened in 2014 and usually has just one original on loan from the museum in Amsterdam. This month, there were 31 original Van Gogh paintings at the museum which was great timing for us. The exhibit does a good job of showing the progression of his painting style which originated from the dutch masters and transformed into his personal expression.
Van Gogh was born in Amsterdam but also spent time in London, Belgium & Paris. He felt that color was the key to modern art and decided to relocate to Provence in search of bright light and color. He moved to Arles in Feb 1888 in hopes of establishing a community of artists. He invited his good friend Gauguin to visit to try and persuade him to set up an art school together. At first the two got along well. They painted side-by-side and hit the bars & brothels in the evening.
In Dec, 1888 they got into a fight at a local bar while drinking Absinthe. Van Gogh threw a glass at him and Gauguin left. Van Gogh ran after him with a razor blade and threatened him causing Gauguin to leave Arles. Van Gogh, distraught, then cut off his ear lobe and presented it to his favorite prostitute Rachel, saying “Treasure this precious object!”. A few days later he checked himself in to the sanitarium in St. Remy. Yipes, the wind around here will make you crazy…
More misc. tidbits:
- Many wine makers believe that Le Mistral causes substantial evaporation in the grapes, concentrating sugar, acidity, and flavors. And when the wind finally slows down, it is followed by days of clear, bright sunshine, enabling the grapes to ripen and ripen and ripen….
- The name of the Mistral is traced to the Provencal word for “Masterly” and it certainly has had such an effect on life in Provence. Old farmhouses were built facing south, with sturdy north walls devoid of windows. The bell towers of the churches in the region are often topped by open iron frameworks, which allow the wind to pass through.
- There was even once a law that stated that anyone who claims to have gone mad on account of the Mistral may be pardoned of their crime. Sacre Mistral!
- France outlawed absinthe in 1913, probably because it was hurting the wine industry (cheaper and more potent) plus it was frying everyone’s brain.
On our way back to St. Remy we decided to stop at the Pont du Gard aqueduct, considered one of the most beautiful Roman ruins in all of Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site- note all of these ruins, bridges, etc. we have visited are UNESCO sites. Pont du Gard is the tallest of all of the ‘bridges’ that the Romans built crossing the Gardon River. It brought water to the Roman city of Nemausus (modern day, Nimes). The overall aqueduct system was 50k long, and descends in height by only 17 m (56 ft) over its length, while the Pont du Gard descends by a mere 2.5 centimetres (1 in) from one side to the other. After the Romans, it became a toll bridge run by local lords and bishops. Pont Du Gard is also a giant park with swimming, biking, concerts, boating, restaurants et al.
