Meet Our Recent Scholarship Recipient: Sahil Singh Masand
Our 2024 scholarship recipient, Sahil Singh Masand, traveled from Spain to join our workshop in Provence with Jane Hunt and Michele Usibelli. Find out how a week in Provence reshaped his artistic journey and what unexpected encounter made the biggest impact.
Scholarship to Professional Painter, Emiliano Marini
It was only a few years ago that Emiliano Marini applied for and was awarded a Scholarship to join us at Workshops in France. He was invited to paint at one of our premier art retreats or study in a workshop setting along with an international group of artists to focus on painting. We wrote this blog so that you could catch up with Emiliano’s journey and his artistic successes.
Glasgow Boys – A Scottish Art Rebellion
Their work, like other contemporaries around Europe, rejected traditional art styles and subjects and thrust the art scene into modernism. Like their counterparts on the Continent, these artists were ready to try something fresh and new when it came to painting.
Yellow Ochre Lifted from Nature’s Palette
Yellow ochre is a naturally mined pigment used by artists everywhere. One of the must-see villages in Provence is Rousillon, where this multi-hued pigment was mined. You see it as orange, pink, and red on the walls of all houses and the red rock faces for the surrounding hills.
From Train Station to World Class Art Museum: Musée D’Orsay
From a train station to a world-class art museum, the Musée d’Orsay is the top choice for artists who want to view magnificent French art. The Musée D’Orsay has a fascinating history which began as a train station built of steel and glass and became a world-class art museum.
Cézanne in the magnificent Carrières de Lumières
The Carrières de Lumières presents different artists every year in a surreal and fabulous audio-visual setting at Les Baux in Provence, and the tribute in 2021 goes to Cézanne and Kandinsky.
Dreaming of Glorious Provence in Glorious Color
If you asked an artist “What would be your dream painting trip look like?”, their answer would inevitably include a myriad of details that perfectly describe the landscape and colors of Provence. Every season in Provence is an artist’s dream, but September ranks high as one of our favorite times to travel to the South of France.
Art Scholarships for 2021 – Residency in France
We offer a scholarship opportunity to an artist who is actively pursuing future art goals: this full scholarship will be awarded to one of our exclusive workshops or retreats. Although it is not specifically designed for a younger recipient, we are interested in inspiring the next generation of artists to paint and pursue lives as working artists.
The French You Already Speak
You Already Know More French Than You Think. Just for fun, we started looking at the French words that have been in common usage in the English language for a long time. Remarkably, many of these words seem to pop up in the realms of culture and cuisine. No surprise there, as France is known for exactly that – their wonderful culture and delicious cuisine. Let’s start right here with food! Cuisine “Cuisine” – This is exactly the same word in both languages. Let’s look at some more… You already know so many of them! With this in mind, rest assured you won’t starve! “Restaurant, chef, café, vinaigrette, gâteau, sauce, pique-nique, salade, soupe, aperitif, menu, croissant, hamburger, chocolat.” Ha! And, there’s “silhouette”, which might change depending on your consumption of the aforementioned. The Arts and La Renaissance We also find a host of French words in the world of art. Florence, Italy was the epicenter of the greatest rebirth of creativity which the Italians call the ‘Rinascimento,’ but in English and in French we refer to it as the Renaissance. Art in French is ‘Art’, pronounced Arr, even in the plural. Let’s look at a few more art terms. Art nouveau, art deco (art décoratif), artist (artiste), impressionism (impressionisme), avant-garde, realism (réalism), surrealism (surréalisme), cubism (cubisme), trompe l’oeil, paper maché (papier-mâché) and film noir. Although French is also the language of ballet, it was actually brought to France from Italy by Catherine de Medici. Ballet dancing as we know it was adopted by the French royal courts where it flourished. Royalty and French French was the official language of the courts, that is, the Royal courts. Around 700 years ago it was the most widely spoken language throughout all of Europe. At that time, the rulers in Europe used French to communicate with each other. It was spoken by their liaisons and international treaties were hashed out in French. No doubt a few French swearwords were tossed around at those who disagreed. French was the language of the gentry. It was generally seen as the language of sophistication, power and wealth. It became a popular second language. By the end of the middle ages, the lingua franca of Europe was indeed French. Of course, the term ‘lingua franca’, is Latin and not French, but it means the language used between people who do not share a common language. A contemporary example of a lingua franca would be Emoji. ❤️ 🇫🇷 🍷 Pronunciation So, you do know these words, but do they sound French when you say them? Probably not. It’s the pronunciation that makes them French. So here’s the mini-lesson of French pronunciation. It’s very general, but it should help. Firstly, the French pronounce every syllable without the English way of stressing one syllable over the others. Take “pronunciation”. We say “PRO-NUN-SEE-AISHUN”, with the stress on NUN, the French would say each syllable – “PRO-NUN-SEE-A-CEE-ON”. If that doesn’t slow you down a bit, the French also tend to drop or swallow the very last consonant if it ends the word. Yes, drop the last consonant, unless the next word starts with a vowel, in which case you need to add it back in. Complicated? Oui! Even More French To round out this blog on the French words you already know, look at these: R.S.V.P. (Répondez S’il Vous Plaît); bourgeois; brunette; blonde; déjà vu; fiancée; chic. All French and all English too. There must be so many more but hopefully these will give you a little confidence about being able to speak this beautiful language. In order to gain more understanding of French and the culture of France, may we suggest that you drink good coffee, share excellent wine and come join us on an artistic and inspirational journey with WorkshopsInFrance. Blogger: Julie Snyder Julie Snyder is a professional artist and also the programs director of Workshops In France. A native of Scotland, she is a seasoned traveler who splits her time between California and France. You can learn more about her role with Workshops in France here and about her painting on her website.
Venetian Red—Loved by Painters, Hated by American Colonists
Like many colors used on the palettes of today’s artists, Venetian Red has a fascinating and dramatic backstory. In addition to its place in art, it holds a special place in British history and the American Revolution.