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The French poet Romain Roland once said: "The French are romantic because they have Provence." ”
Text / Third Stream
Provence, in the hearts of many, seems to be left with only lavender. And because it is "full" of lavender, Provence seems to have become a countryside at a glance.
In fact, Provence is a very large place, covering an area of 6925 square kilometers, which is called a province in the administrative divisions of France. Although this "province" is less than a quarter the size of Dali, although the sparrow is small and complete, Provence is by no means a large rural area with only grass.
Marseilles
In fact, there are some areas in Provence that are still relatively famous. For example, Marseille, the city is an important story place in Dumas's "Count of Monte Cristo" in the 19th century, and it is also the Marseille in the French national anthem "Marseille". And, of course, there are cities like Arles. It is the place where the painter Van Gogh lived, where (in 1888) he painted Sunflowers, cut off his ears, and completed more than 200 works. Aix-en-Provence was also a small town, and in 1888 Van Gogh came to Arles to paint because he was instructed by another high-ranking man who lived in Aix-en-Provence, Cézanne. Since we speak of provencal artists, Gauguin cannot fail to mention that this person once lived with Van Gogh and, in today's parlance, was a pair of "good friends". However, the relationship between the two later broke down, and he left Arles, and finally (in 1891) went to Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean in search of what he thought was a fragrant land.
Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin, the three giants of the late Impressionists, have similar artistic views, and also have exaggerated color expressions and the pursuit of strong sunshine. Moreover, without exception, they became sojourners in Provence. A hundred years later, however, they were not specifically labeled with words like Provence, but only in specific cities such as the south of France or Arles. Provence, labeled by a purple grass.
Provence is indeed different from a French city like Paris. In France, outside of Paris, they are all provinces, which is basically equivalent to the countryside. Provence, in addition to the city center, the old town, the rest is some lavender. A friend of mine who has been studying in Paris for a few years said that this is a "rural area that doesn't grow anything but lavender", saying that it is somewhat similar to the Sansheng Township on the edge of Chengdu, because it was once packaged as a new socialist countryside and was also famous for selling flowers.
Provence does not have a gathering point for artists and writers. Van Gogh lived in Arles in that time, even if he lived in the ancient town of Arles, the ancient town left over from the Roman era, and there were ruins such as the Colosseum. But in recent decades, some new sojourners have gone deeper into the outskirts of the city, creating a state of dispersion.
The English writer Peter Mayer, who made Provence famous, was very rooted in the countryside. He wrote A Year in Provence and various sequels that followed, various provence. These books turn Provence into a way of life, "a simple, carefree, relaxed and lazy way of life" (see Baidu), which looks like the so-called soft time in Lijiang.
After making Provence famous, Peter Mayer followed suit. He was previously an advertiser on Madison Avenue in New York, then became a full-time writer and a writer of Provencal life. Of course, this is a profession that many people envy.
Peter Mayer came to Provence in 1987, but before him there were also some sojourners from afar. Photographer Hans Sylvester is one of them. The German, who began settling in Provence in 1960, has persisted until now, without leaving. In one of his photo books, he wrote: "With a demonic frenzy, I settled in Provence. Fifty years later, in a house I've never left since I bought it, I look at these photographs taken in the 1960s and my heart trembles. ”
Why does Provence give photographers a "fascination fanaticism"? Sylvester himself had an explanation.
"Imagine how a young German from the Black Forest would be amazed at seeing Provence, all these colors, these fragrant, blue skies, men and women with golden skin, healthy and respectful of tradition, a pure world that enchants northerners accustomed to freshness, clarity and light fog. And the light! The dense and thick light makes people can't help but want to have it. ”
Sylvester spoke on two levels. One is nature and one is man. On a natural level, the colors, the smell of the air, the purity of the sky and the light excite him, while the human aspect, health, simplicity and tradition, also allows the photographer to find a home.
The German photographer about the weather, Peter Mayer also basically agreed, "in my eyes, it is the purest light in the world that makes the climate of Provence unique", "the light as clear as water will make the most amateur painters can not help but pick up the paintbrush and paint everything in front of them on the canvas". Peter Mayer, who has been an advertiser, likes to stir up emotions, so the statements are slightly exaggerated, but they say much the same thing.
But Pér Mayer's description of Provence is not a perfect world. The weather in Provence is actually not as good as imagined. The temperature difference here is very large, and the weather of the last 60 years shows that the lowest temperature in Provence is minus 16 degrees, while the maximum temperature is nearly 42.7 degrees. Although this is only a number in extreme cases, it also shows that life here, winter and summer, still has to suffer some torture. Also, the wind here is surprisingly strong. Peter Mayer says, "Occasionally the wind is strong enough to blow up the coffee table." In addition, precipitation is said to be irregular, and the amount of rain is often staggering. "The amount of rain can be so heavy that in one morning it can devour a patch of wheat field, flood an entire vineyard, and even turn an entire village into a zeal country, and almost a fish."
In Peter Mayer's Provence, the natural conditions are still a bit harsh, which is really different from what we see in lavender pictures. But why has it become a sojourn for artists and writers?
Pietermel (left) takes a photo at his residence in Provence.
I can't answer that question. However, Provence was probably not a place of enjoyment in the 19th century. In 1888, when Van Gogh was eager to find bright and intense light and color, Cézanne suggested that he come to Provence. For Van Gogh, the charm of Provence was to be able to satisfy his artistic claims. Usually the good scenery and the comfort of life in the eyes are two elements that are not easy to get together, and the same should be true of Provence, and the great artists of the 19th century should be aimed at art.
Although artists came here to paint, not many people came to Provence to live here before the rise of tourism in the 1980s. This can be seen in the room rate. According to photographer Hans Sylvester, in 1957, in the valley of Pau, it was even possible to buy a house for the price of a Citroën DS sedan. And he bought a dilapidated house in Provence at a low price. In the local area, the houses of this quality he bought were more common, and the peasants were generally poor, "the peasants gave up their property and sold everything, but there was no buyer." ”
Of course, the situation described by Sylvester has now completely changed. Peter Mayer said in a recent book that his home in Provence had become a place where distant friends came to find excuses to stay, and it took him several years to gradually adapt to this change, convincing himself: "If there are no such distant visitors every year, I will feel very lost." "Provence has become a popular destination in the world.
Although Provence is not only lavender, it is lavender that attracts people the most and the perfect natural world derived from it. After the spread of tourism, people have imagined Provence as a utopia that purifies the soul. "If travel is to get rid of the shackles of life, Provence will make you forget everything", a similar statement, has an irresistible magic for many people who are eager to change the immutable urban life.