Photos from France, May 2016 — first batch

At the end of this past May (2016), I was in France, visiting Lyon and Franche-Comté, in the south and east of the country.  It was an incredibly interesting and fruitful journey, culturally and artistically.  It’s taken me quite a bit of time to go through photographs, and I’m not done yet!  So, instead of waiting until I’ve finished with all of the photos, I’ve decided to put them out in batches.

The city of Lyon as seen from the Fourvière hill.
The city of Lyon as seen from the Fourvière hill.

So the first batch is now online!  These photos give highlights of the early days of my trip — focusing on the city of Lyon.  Lyon is a fantastic big city that is at the same quite livable and comfortable.  And there is quite a lot to see there!  I’ll go into a narrative about some of the artistic and architectural attractions in a future post.  Here are some highlights.

The Cathedral of Lyon dedicated to Saints Jean-Baptiste and Étienne. 12th-15th centuries.
The Cathedral of Lyon is dedicated to Saints Jean-Baptiste and Étienne. 12th-15th centuries.

Lyon is the ancient capital of Roman Gaul and the seat of the archbishop of Lyon, who also has the title of “Primate of the Gauls.”  There are roman ruins as well.

Roman sarcophagus, in the Gallo-Roman museum in Lyon.
Roman sarcophagus, in the Gallo-Roman museum in Lyon.
Roman sculpture fragment in the Gallo-Roman museum, Lyon
Roman sculpture fragment in the Gallo-Roman museum, Lyon

You can see all of the photos I’ve uploaded in this flickr album.

More photos to come!

Ferdinand Hodler and the paysage planétaire

As I promised in Tuesday’s post, I have found the reference to ‘paysage planétaire,’ and this makes for the perfect opportunity to give you a more extended introduction to the artwork of Ferdinand Hodler, if you aren’t familiar with him.

Ferdinand Hodler, Landschaft bei Château d'Oex, circa 1905. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Ferdinand Hodler, Landschaft bei Château d’Oex, circa 1905. Source: Wikimedia Commons

I first discovered Hodler through an excellent exhibit of his late work at the Neue Galerie in New York City, in the fall of 2012. Continue reading “Ferdinand Hodler and the paysage planétaire”

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