Meeting Matisse

Bon jour mes amies,

I took a bus today.  Two busses.  Nothing happened but a smooth journey there and back.
I began with a trip to the grocery store.  I just needed to pick up a few things, but as usual I became fascinated with the contents of the shelves and began to think of what else I could get and try.  I found some Pain Polaine, which I like very much, and shortly I will spread some Rocamador on a slice for apero.
I was in luck today, because I got two sites in one trip--well two and half if you count the Franciscan Monastery church I had a peek at.  My goal was the Musee Matisse, a popular sight in Nice.  The artist settled in the city enthralled as many artists were by the quality of the light and the vibrancy of the colors in the southern sunshine.  Our journey took us away from the city center up a hill and through a very elegant neighborhood.  A bunch of us got off at the proper stop.
The seven day museum pass which applies to all city museums is a bargain.  Individual admission to each costs ten euro.  Now if you are very energetic, you can use that one ticket for twenty-four hours on however many museums you can get to.  I am no longer that energetic, so the seven day ticket for twenty euro works well for me.
The museum is set in a park planted with olive trees.
I like Matisse's work a lot, and if you do as well, you will enjoy the collection.  The placards by the works discuss his life, techniques, and media.  Some very early works show Matisse as a skilled but conventional artist with a subdued palette.  Then on his honeymoon in Corsica, something seemed to awaken in him and his painting became freer and more colorful.  His drawings and paintings have a fresh, spontaneous look to them, but in fact Matisse thought deeply about each work and did preliminary drawings to work out his concepts.
Many of his bronze sculptures are exhibited.  I was impressed.  They are as expressive and as pleasing as his paintings.  Also on offer are his gouache and paper cut outs, which though simple have a compelling power.
After my museum visit I strolled around the lovely park.  It's Saturday so the Nissards were out enjoying the sunshine. The site also holds an archeological museum and an extensive set of ruins.  Since it took the museum pass, I could not resist.  Anyone who participated in my visit to Rome knows I love a good ruin.  In fact the Romans chose a site further inland for their chief settlement, and the city for long years was far more important than the city by the sea the Greeks had founded.  Cementelum was as large as Pompeii in its heyday, and boasted all the amenities of a proper Roman capital.  The artifacts in the museum are undistinguished although I did have fun at the activity (designed for children, so perfect for moi) that allowed the visitor to sniff at common Roman seasonings.  The real action is outside in the archeological park.  Most of what has been exposed is an extensive bath complex--worth a visit if you are there.  A bonus was the kitty cat waiting outside for me. "Bon jour, petite chat, je suis votre tante," I said petting the creature.
How nice that you have a new kitten friend.  What's for dinner?
The usual.  Fresh pasta called cappelletti filled with parma ham and dressed with olive oil and garlic.  It's not exciting to read about, but it is truly Mediterranean, and I rather crave the fresh pasta and oil, but I promise not to neglect actual Provencal specialties.  I am drinking Provencal rose AOP with the dinner anyway.
A demain