The mistral has been blowing hard this week which gives us clear skies and bright sunshine but also keeps the air temperature fresh! It is always a great trick to find painting sites that are out of its reach. On Monday, David took the group to the lower part of Gordes. It was here that Chagall lived during the war until 1941 when he was smuggled out of France and eventually to America. Varian Fry who worked to save Chagall and his wife, visited the Chagall's at their home in Gordes. He wrote of the visit in his diary.
“Gordes is a charming, tumbled down old town on the edge of a vast and peaceful valley. I can see why they didn’t want to leave; it is an enchanted place."
In this part of Gordes there were a series of mills that were used in shoe manufacturing and Chagall's house is one of these, it is built over a stream which was originally a small river.
David noticed that the electricity counter still has Chagall's name on it!
The area is quite secluded and there are many well preserved ruined buildings and cobbled streets which make good painting subjects.
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