Day
1 You will be met at Toulouse airport by James and driven
for about ¾ hour to the great Romanesque abbey at Moissac.
It was here that Kenneth Clark in his series 'Civilisation'
eulogised the work of the Romanesque sculptors. The tympanum
is one of the great works of art of the twelfth century and
we will look at it and the cloisters and talk about them after
lunch. Lunch will be beneath the magnolia tree of Le Cloitre
restaurant. After the talk on the tympanum and cloisters we
will drive to Le Vert, a Quercy Manor House famous for its
cuisine. You will spend the next three nights here. All bedrooms
with bathrooms en suite.
Day
2 After a good croissant breakfast you will be driven
to Lario, the home of James and Diana Tamlyn. Lario is a classic
Quercy farmstead with beautiful views over the rolling countryside.
We will start the morning with a slide show introduction.
A broad spectrum through the history of art to show just how
different and interesting interpretation of subjects has been
through the ages. Also a look to see how mood effects the
result. Lunch on the terrace at Lario followed by an afternoon
of painting in the garden maybe taking into account a little
of what we have talked about .. or not. Return to Le Vert.
Day
3 You return to Lario for the second slide show where
we will look at the way light and colour have been used by
artists. We will look at Monet's cathedral and haystack studies
as well as other artists such as Seurat and Matisse. From
here we will take a leisurely five minute walk down to Chateau
Figeac for a picnic in the chateau before an afternoon of
painting in the chateau grounds. Return to Le Vert.
Day
4 We drive to the market of the medieval city of Cahors.
Time to wander around the market. Lunch at the Rendez-Vous
restaurant, a firm favourite of ours. After lunch we will
drive east along the river to the tiny port of Bouziès.
From here we amble easily for an hour along the famous tow
path cut into the cliff face just above river level. Time
to draw/paint. You stay at La Pellissaria for the next three
nights looking up at the fifteenth century church. All bedrooms
with bathrooms en suite. Swimming pool. 3km
Day
5 We visit the pre-historic cave of Pech Merle. This cave
is of the Solutrian and Magdalenian periods and, along with
Lascaux and Font de Gaume, is one of the most important caves
of the area. We will have a guided tour before driving on
to chez Pierette for lunch. After lunch there will be a drawing/painting
session near the village of Monteils in the beautiful Célé
valley. Here you will be surrounded by orange and blue cliffs
and lofty Lombardy poplars and a gently flowing river that
meanders its way down to the Lot. We return to St Cirq and
La Pellissaria to get ready for dinner.
Day
6 A last slide show in the morning to recap on thoughts
that have arisen during the week. Then we go to Chateau Cénévieres,
a marvellous Renaissance chateau that sits perched above the
river Lot with a breath-taking view over to the hilltop village
of Calvignac. Here we will have a picnic lunch on the terrace.
A tour of the chateau for those interested in history with
Monsieur de Braquilanges whose family bought the house in
1793 just before Louis XVI's minister for war (the previous
owner) lost his head. A chance in the afternoon to paint at
the chateau or return to St Cirq Lapopie.
Day
7 We leave the river and cliffs behind to drive to the
pink city of Toulouse. We will arrive in time for lunch. After
lunch we will visit the Bemberg Collection. This is a fine
collection of old master and modern pictures from Lucas Cranach
to Paul Gauguin. We stay at the Beaux Arts hotel on the river
Garonne and eat in its wonderful 'Belle Epoque' style restaurant
for the farewell dinner. All bedrooms with bathrooms en suite.
Day
8 You leave for the airport.
All
walks for non-artists will be accompanied. Please see separate
walking itinerary.
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