Paris Design Flea Market, Puces du Design, October 6-9

Dates: October 6th to 9th
Location: Place des Vins de France, in Bercy Village
Metro: Cour Saint-Emilion. Line 14

The theme for this years Paris Design Flea Market, are the years, 50's to 90's.
Access is free to the general public and it starts on Thursday afternoon, the 6th of October.

You'll find, design objects, art, decoration and furniture, from the rare to the inexpensive, fabulous icons of design in this once a year event which recreates the ambiance of a flea market but with class and chic.

It isn't a really well know event but I've stumbled upon it a couple of times while in Paris and it's really well worth the visit. Good fun even if you aren't a collector of design objects. This time it take place in Bercy village, close to the Parc de Bercy, so a picnic is a possiblility. You can stroll through, the relatively new, streets and discover classics of international and french furniture and design objects.

It's a very pleasant way to pass a day or two exploring and meeting french people of a certain class and taste. The designs are usually the very best and most iconic items.

The address is Place des Vins de France, in Bercy Village.

Google map here

The nearest metro is Cour Saint-Emilion. Metro line 14.

Degas at the Royal Academy London

The exhibition of Degas ballet drawings and paintings is receiving great promotion all over the world. It opens on the 17th of September, in London.

As an artist, Degas didn't paint the traditional historical subjects of his peers. Instead, like many other 'new' artists of his time, he painted daily life. This is one of the reasons his art is grouped among the impressionists, despite his focus on realism.

Being independently wealthy he created what he wanted to. Studied what he wanted and with his impressive social connections he travelled easily in many different levels of society. He also collected other artists works and was constantly learning. He was a truely involved artist.

Thanks to his independence we have a very unique and honest window into the past, which shocked contemporary Paris. The reasons were so typical of the time and we can see through him, his life and art, how different the status of 'woman' has changed and balanced.

Apart from the obvious skill and majesty in his work, I think that this is one of the main reasons for art collectors facination with him and their love of his drawings.

Degas is a great example of how the lives of artists are a particular kind of window in the human world and that of nature. It is said that we see history through the eyes of the victor but here we see history through the eyes of the creator.

He is mounted on a social dias but rejects the conventions that placed him there. Armed with his artists eyes and desire to create. Taking full advantage of the opportunities his status presented, he created. He was ahead of his time but with his feet firmly stuck on the ground and his works create a crack in the lens of the dogma which recorded his world.

Through this view finder we can begin to piece together the dynamism which held together his society and which led to ours. We can see in more than one way, how radically different our society is from the past while also experiencing great art, unshackling us from the conventions of our own world.

 

There is information on the upcoming exhibition in London here.

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/degas/about-the-exhibition

Updates & the art of drawing

Right now, I'm snowed under with projects and organisation. There is a remarkable amount of planning and preparation involved in being an artist. In order to have the free time to actually work in the future, you have to plan now. So that's what I'm doing at the moment.

However, when I'm finished with, or at least, have gotten the majority of the things which I have to, organised and complete, I plan on treating myself to a trip to a couple of exhibitions. Here's one that looks extremely interesting and it promises to be in a calm location.

There is an exhibition of drawings by Rembrandt in the Institut Néerlandais, 121 rue de Lille, Paris. It's on show till the 2nd of October 2011. It's a show worth seeing. Here is a link to more information.
http://www.thestar.com/article/1048001--rembrandt-close-and-personal

If I were in London right now, I'd be planning to visit the show of drawings by Degas, at the Royal Academy. His drawings of ballet dancers are showing there until the 17th of September. Well worth a visit.  
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/8738567/Degas-the-ascetic-with-an-eye-for-the-ladies.html


Both artists found their ability to express rooted in their marvelous and distinctive drawings. So many great artists can be recognised by their hand when they draw and a signature is almost unnecessary. Despite the fact that Rembrandt had up to 50 students and all worked closely together, the style of drawing is so different between them despite the fact that the students were learning exactly the same methods etc. The artists expressed their creative energy using the humble medium of drawing, in very different manners. Each one drawing out something unique from themselves in the process.