a winter holiday outing with friends
yesterday along with our friend sandrine and her daughters we took a trip to visit le plais ideal du facteur cheval, renowned as a splendid example of naive or outsider art. it was built over 33 years by a postman, who had dreamed it up in “visions”.
it’s hard to describe in words, it really must be seen. ferdinand cheval used stones and other items collected on his postal route to build the palace without any kind of architectural or artistic training. he is renowned for his wheelbarrow, which he used to collect the materials. i took so many photos but will share a few of my favourites.
inspired by postcards and the magazine magasin pittoresque, he was able to incorporate symbols from around the world including a hindu temple, a swiss chalet, and the white house, as well as animals he had never seen like a flamingo, caiman, and camel.
i highly recommend visiting the website (it’s available in english), to learn more about this amazing work of art. we were completely blown away!
on the way home we stopped off to see baby goats!
later that night we went to see dolittle, which was funny even in french! all in all a totally great winter holiday experience.
i’m now really looking forward to spring break and more fun days ahead.