FOR PUBLIC VIEWING: SCULPTURES IN SAINT-PAUL DE VENCE

The village, Saint- Paul de Vence, is an old mediaval town on the French Riviera. For public viewing: New  and old sculptures  in 2014 in the town. A visit to the town is a must. Good luck. Photos:Tedd Urnes.

PABLO PICASSO

FRANCE : VALLAURIS: PABLO  PICASSO- A SCULPTURE

Pablo Picasso lived in the French village Vallauris from 1948 to 1955. Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, stage designer, poet and playwright. He spent most of his adult life in France.  Antibes, Cannes, Mougins and Vallauris are sites where he lived and worked. In Vallauris a sculpure made by him is easy to find in the village. The sculpure is put up close to the public library of the village. Pablo Picasso is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He was born in 1881 in Malaga in Spain and he died in 1973 in  Mougins, France at an age of 91.

FRANCE: THE EVENTS OF NO RETURN-WAR MEMORIALS IN FRENCH VILLAGES

FRANCE: THE EVENTS OF NO RETURN – WAR MEMORIALS IN FRENCH VILLAGES

What do they have in common the ancient French 

villages: Gourdon, Vallauris and Tourrettes-Sur – Loup?

Photos: The Public library of Vallauris Golf-Juan.

Gourdon and Tourrettes-Sur - Loup.

Photo: Tedd Urnes

War memorials set up for public viewing. A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.Great military victories had to be remembered and celebrated. The victories were the history of the nation.To celebrate the dead soldiers was a second concern. The Arc of Triomph in Paris contain no names of those who were killed in actions. The age of the lost soldiers are not always written on the monument.  At an age of 20, 25, 33 and 17 they were killed fighting the German occupation of France. The information is to be found on the war memorial set up in Gourdon.

Too young, all of them. In the village of Vallauris you find a name written on the war monument: Antonin Giordano. He was not killed during the Second World War. No. He was killed in a war not wanted in Algeria in year 1957. I have done some research on the soldier, but I cound not find much information about him.War memorials can be politically controversial. In France, however, you find no censurship in selections of the war people want to remember. Even the nasty French war in Algeria is chosen to be remembered. The war is not to be glorified, but those who have died. But who is Antonin Giordano who lost his life in war in Algeria?
He was born in June 9, 1937 and died, February 4, 1957. The Algerian War is also known as Algerian war of Independence or the Algerian Revolution. Guerre d'Agerie was a war between France and the Algerian independence movement from 1954 to 1964. President Charles de Gaulle decided to give up Algeria. The Algerian War was an unpopular war.The French authorities refused to use the term " guerre d'Algerie" for many years. In 1999 the national assembly passed a law officially allowing to use the " guerre d'Algerie".
Quotation from official reports about Antonin Giordano. " ...guerre d'Algerie. R.I.C Regiment d'Infanterie coloniale. Desparu lors du combat d'ain-oumi pres de Barbar...". Age:21.lieu, complement: Col d'Ain-Roume.

The unknown French soldier from Vallauris, Antonin  Giordano, was only one of many French soldiers who had to fight the war in Algeria. In January 1957 about 308,000 French soldiers were fighting in Algeria. Small villages in France want to honour those who had gone to wars and not returned. War memorials may serve as focal points of a political understanding between previous enemies too.  Some towns in France set up ” pacifist war memorials ”. Killed childeren and women rather than soldiers were to commemorating. The history took place whether you like the event or not. Norwegian soldiers who thought they  fought against  Russia fighting for the liberation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during the WWII are honoured and remembered in The Baltic countries, but not in Norway. Those who sided with the German occupation of Norway, were sentenced to prison for the support of the German occupants of the country. But the events are history anyway. The ancient French villages have understood the importance of tradition and local history. He was one of us. We all lost him, but we take care of the memory of you, what so ever. I appreciate the local attitude to history and tradition of the population of the ancient villages of France located  close to Nice, Cannes and Antibes.

Tourrettes- Sur- Loup: War memorial
Photo: Tedd Urnes

GOURDON: PARAGLIDING

GOURDON: PARAGLIDING-COME FLY WITH ME

Gourdon  is an anchient and picturesque perched village in Provence, France.Tourists love to pay the village a visit. You find many boutiques, a glass blower, nice restaurants, an early – 17 century fortress, just to mention some good reasons to go there. The chateau was completey rebuilt in 1610. Gourdon is rated as one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Queen Victoria visited the site in 1891 too. I agree to all the nice comments said about the village – and I will add: A nice place to watch paragilding in air while drinking good French wine  making an attempt to enjoy the view from the village. If you stay at the beach in Nice during summertime, you might discover that every five minute a plane is arriving the city. At Gourdon you will not find many planes in air making a lot of noise, but a lot of paragilders who want to greet you

. The paragilders are discovering France from above. No engine is used. They  are experiencing the freedom from traffic noise, freedom from traffic jam, freedom from walking people and traffic lighst. No bicycle paths to pay attention to. You are your own master and leader.  I must admit that I have never done it myself, paragliding – only watching the brave pilots. Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: Lightweight,freeflying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The flight can last for hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres.  Take a look at the photos I took  of the brave pilots in March 2014. Above all: Go to Gourdon and enjoy the view and the paragilders.

                                

GEORGE THE SCULPTOR

FRANCE:THE GEORGE ARTS IN TOURRETTES- SUR- LOUP-2014

George, the Sculptor, is graduated from The Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Lyon: Diplome de L’Ecole National des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (D.N.S.E.P.) and Diplome National Superieur d’Expressions Plastiques (1992).

The old village: Tourrettes-Sur Loup

Optical art and communication were subjects chosen by George.  But, who is George? I don’t know. She has studied and worked in Spain and Italy. As far as I know, after much research work, she is an attractive French lady who creates wounderful sculptures of nude ladies who  are put into strange situations. I am fascinated by the sculpturs made by the secret French lady, George. It is not often I am viewing in public a nude woman who is making an attempt balancing on a chair with a birdcage on her head ( Equi-Libre 2010).  Strange, attractive and complicated: Balancing nude on a chair with a birdcage on your head. Make an attempt, yourself, but do not forget to take off your clothes

. George works reflects dreams, secret dreams, wanted or not wanted and above all: Sensual dreams. Two of her sculpturs are to be found in an old medieval village situated between Nice and Cannes: Tourrettes- Sur- Loup. A charming village from year 1024. In 1347 the fief( land held from a feudal lord) of the village was put under feudal control of the ”  Bastard of Vence ”: Guichard Villeneuve. From the 14th century to 1789, the commune remained part of the Seigneurie des Villeneuve. I recommend you to pay  the village a visit in order to view the works of the George Arts. Besides, you find three splendid restaurantes in the village and a small library too. I paid the village a visit in March 2014. The bronze sculptures which are set up in the village for public viewing, fascinated me. But- who made them all? Who is George? Born in France in year 1966. She wants attention, much attention, but only in connection with her work- so far.

THE PYRAMIDS OF GUIMAR:THE WORK OF THOR HEYERDAHL AND FRED OLSEN-THE ETHNOGRAPHIC PARK

It was a must to go to the Pyramids at the town of Guimar on the Canary Islands, Tenerife, staying on the island as a Norwegian tourist. The life of Thor Heyerdahl is known to most of my generation –born after the Second World War. The Pyramids of Guimar was worth a visit. Six rectangular pyramids are built from lava stones located in the district of Chacona, part of the town of Guimar.Dr. Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) was a Norwegian explorer, ethnographer,adventurer, with background in biology, zoology and geography

. He became aware of the ” Canarian Pyramids ” by reading an article in a newspaper. The article was written by Francisco Padron in the Tenerife newspaper ” Diarode Avisos ”. Thor Heyerdahl was of the opinion that the Canarian pyramids formed a temporal and geographic stopping point on voyages between ancient Egypt and the Maya civilization in Central America. The park contents a modern information centre, a cinema, an exhibition of the life and work of Thor Heyerdahl, models of his boats, a replica of RAII. The park is accessible to the public.

The making of the park was made possible due to the support from the Norwegian ship owner and businessman, Fred Olsen. Thor Heyerdal and Fred Olsen were close friends for years. But who is Fred Olsen, you may ask? What is his connection to the Canary Islands?

Fred Olsen is recognised as one of the greatest entrepreneurial brains of our time. He is the president of the Fred Olsen Group. A former art student and sailor with no academic education as far as I know. He is the fourth generation of the family to head the firm. The company is a major employer and investor in the islands with Fred Olsen Express, Fred Olsen shipping, Hotel Jardin Tecina, Tecina Golf, Pueblo Don Thomas ,and Restaurante Las Rostas- so far the official reports available for the moment. And above all: Transport of banans from the Canary Islands since 1904.  The Fred Olsen Group is also involved in underwater drilling, marine water transport, renewable energies, properties, risk capital management and computer technology.

Thor Heyerdahl could not get a better friend ! Fred Olsen came to Tenerife in 1949 for the first time as  ” an ordinary seaman ”.

The local farmers and  local academics were of the opinion that the rocks of the pyramids were rocks left over from the farmers cleaning out fields for agriculture. Both Thor Heyerdahl and Fred Olsen disagreed with the local farmers at the town of Guimar.

The Pyramids of Guimar was founded in 1998. I recommend you to pay the park a visit next time you go to Tenerife.