"A Month at La Tartane"
The Back Story
La Tartane is a large 19th century villa on the Boulevard Victor Hugo overlooking the waterfront of Bandol, France. It was the summer home of the distinguished French sculptor Henri-Eduard Lombard, his wife Elise and their daughter Annie. In my painting the figures are enjoying the sunny, spacious balcony on the second floor while two mysterious, ghostly figures in the upper left hand corner only dream of being there. They appeared when I received a very amusing Christmas card from my best collectors. I could not resist putting them in the painting.
A Little History: Henri-Edouard Lombard (1855 - 1929), was a renowned sculptor who won the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in 1900. Henri, Elise, his wife, and their daughter Annie,lived for many years in a romantic style villa "La Tartane".
The ta rtane is a characteristic sailing boat of the Mediterranean. Used for all purposes, the tartane sailed everywhere and more generally in the western basin. The "Tartane" is today the studio of architect Rudy Riccioti, Grand Prix National d'Architecture (2006), designer from MUCEM in Marseille (2002) and member of the Academy of Technologies (2014).
"A Month at La Tartane" is the first in a Cote d'Azur series which follows the series "We'll Always Have Paris". These two series have captured my imagination for a long time. The phrase "We'll Always Have Paris” comes from the film "Casablanca,” a comment that brings to my mind the many happy months I spent in the City of Light. But it wasn't until I moved on to the sun and warmth of the Riviera that I truly felt in my element, the light, the colors, the fragrances, the sense of wonder I experienced in that magical atmosphere will always remain with me and influence my heart and my art.
