Today, in a beautiful little harbor town and along the dramatic cliffs on the coast of Normandy we found ourselves immersed in the subtle, shifting tones of an impressionist painting.
The town of Honfleur and its snug harbor were a seminal inspiration to the early masters of the impressionist movement in the mid to late nineteenth century. Gustave Courbet, a realist and pre-impressionist painter, was born in Honfleur in 1819. Late in his life he invited his young friend Claude Monet to visit him there. Monet was captivated by the dreamlike light and color of the Normandy coast and soon captured its essence in a wonderful painting called Impression: Sunrise. It was this work that lent its name to the school of painting that was soon to flower throughout France and change the course of the art world forever.
We made the quick journey from the ship’s berth in Le Havre to Honfleur and when we arrived we discovered that we had the great good fortune of visiting on market day! Our local guides led us through the narrow streets and along the colorful waterfront of the inner harbor, pointing out the features of the small chapels and half-timbered houses, some of which dated from as early as the twelfth century. At the end of our walk we made a stop at St. Catherine’s Church, the largest wooden church in France and a spectacularly beautiful building. For the rest of the morning we enjoyed free time to explore the lively markets and the wandering byways of the town, discovering elegant boutiques, world-renowned chocolate and little cafés that were the perfect setting for a quiet coffee and some contemplation of our time in France.
In the meantime a small group of us had chosen to go hiking along the sea-cliffs west of the town. The view of sheer drops, bold arches and slender needles of rock rising vertically out of the sea here had also been the subject of many paintings by the great impressionists who visited over a century ago. The hike along the lip of the cliffs was thrilling and the views enthralling – it was easy to understand the power of this landscape to inspire great art.
Thoughts of art and inspiration seemed very appropriate today as we looked back on our time in France, remembering experiences of war and peace, food and wine, music, architecture and fine art, the past and the present.
