Antiquarians such as myself love this
sort of place—an oasis of medevial
carving, tapestries, armor and jewelry
tucked into a buzzing commercial
neighborhood.
I treated myself to some colored pencils
in this city of art and sketched our beloved
and reviled monkey.
My son suggested an outting to
Villa Savoye in Poissy, designed by
the modernist Le Corbusier and
it is an intriguing structure, well worth
the visit, expecially after the sensory
overload, and let’s admit it, excesses
of the Baroque…but this hilarious
out-structure (about 30 feet tall)
caught my sketching eye.
At Harry’s New York Bar,
birthplace of the Sidecar
and a number of other classic
cocktails, hang old baseballs
and the boxing gloves of Primo
Carnera. The drinks as excellent,
if hideously expensive- but
that’s Paris for ya. Next time
I’m packing a flask!
Near our apartment and serving as a useful
landmark is the Tour de St Jacques. It is now
the centerpiece of a small park on Rue de Rivoli.
This soaring Gothic tower is the sole remnant of
an ancient cathedral. Here are a few sketches
of its stone critters made while sitting on a bench…
as children, punks and old men milled about.
The soaring stained glass windows of
St Chapel are one of the glories of the
City of Light…I sketched this snippet
as a reminder to use this goofy
medieval convention in some future
narrative— no perspective, huge people,
tiny buildings.
